Vintage collectors learn history, create community

ST. CLAIR SHORES — Since they were young, two local collectors have loved the vintage items they find, the history behind them and the community they create.

Avid vintage collectors Jessica Krutell and Ashley Hafer, both of St. Clair Shores, became interested in collecting when they were younger. Krutell said she started collecting when she was a teenager, when she knew she was going to buy a house.

“I started collecting dishes early on and Pyrex early on and stocking up with one day that I know I’ll have a house to fill,” Krutell said.

Hafer said she started collecting rocks when they went up north, but, like Krutell, she knew she had to fill a house one day.

“When we were getting older, my grandma said, ‘We’re going to start a little hope chest for you and your sister for when you guys move out,’” Hafer said. “And she’s like, ‘You definitely need Corelle, and you definitely need Pyrex in your kitchens.’”

Pyrex is a brand of dishware and, according to the Corning Museum of Glass website, was created in 1915. The heat-resistant glass was originally used in railroad lanterns and was originally marketed as Nonex or Corning nonexpansion glass in 1909. The wife of a Corning scientist, Bessie Littleton, baked a sponge cake in a sawed off Nonex battery jar, according to the website.

“Her experiment revealed that cooking times were short, baking was uniform, the glass was easy to clean, and, since the glass was clear, the cake in the oven could be monitored — all advantages over metal bakeware,” the website said.

After picking out patterns with her grandma, Hafer started seeing Pyrex and other dishes at the garage sales and estate sales she visited.

“And I was like, ‘Well, these colors are more fun than the ones we saw at Target and Kmart and stuff at that time,’” Hafer said. “And I’ve just started picking it up.”

Hafer now has over 5,000 pieces in her Pyrex collection with the dishes varying in rarity, color and pattern. She said those who collect Pyrex also collect dishes from different companies such as Federal Glass, Fire King and others from the same time period.

“So if I would integrate, like add in all of that stuff, I’m pushing probably 8,000 pieces,” Hafer said.

Hafer’s been thrifting and going to estate sales almost every weekend with her friends since she was young, and she keeps her shopping local to the St. Clair Shores area. She visits antique stores, estate sales and garage sales. She also has a couple of pieces passed down to her from her grandparents. The earliest she’s been at an estate sale was 24 hours before the start of the sale.

“It’s spiraled out of control since then,” Hafer said with a laugh.

Krutell said she and Hafer collected so much that they’ve started reselling items.

“Speaking for myself at least, I would find things that I would like to upgrade,” Krutell said. “I start with something and then I find something that I like a little bit more.”

Hafer said at first it was just her and her sister looking for vintage items and she didn’t know other people were interested in the vintage world as well. Social media opened up a new world of people who were interested in the same things as her and she met Krutell through a Facebook group.

Hafer said a user named “Vampyrex” posted images of her collection on one of the pages.

“She had a wall in her New York City studio of Pyrex in every pattern and I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, that is, I’m going to do that in my home,” Hafer said.

Hafer started an event called Michigan Pyrex Swap and they are currently looking for a new venue due to the growing size.

“People travel from across the country to attend and to swap and trade Pyrex pieces,” Krutell said. “Which is amazing that there’s such a really big network for like-minded collectors on social media.”

Both Krutell and Hafer have to be careful with their collections. Hafer said when they had the swap at her house, she was very nervous.

“Posting it on social media is a risk,” Hafer said. “Especially a collection as large as mine. I’ve never had anybody say anything weird.”

Krutell added she feels those who collect the same things they do usually are decent people.

Hafer said once a person starts visiting estate sales, thrift stores and garage sales they start to see other things they want to collect. Krutell said there is some beauty in collecting and saving pieces as well.

“They don’t make things like they used to,” Krutell said. “And that’s so cliche to say, but it’s true. These pieces that we’re collecting are significantly older than we are and they’re still working fantastic and they’re not having issues or breaking or all the problems that modern day material objects will see.”

Krutell also collects items that match her home’s decor. This includes old photographs, blue and teal Pyrex, and oddities such as science specimens and medical equipment. She recalled an estate sale where she took family photos she saw in the trash bin and paid for them.

“Because these are memories, these meant something to someone,” Krutell said. “To have that moment in time just be thrown away. I couldn’t let it happen. It just made me sick to my stomach.”

Krutell said she put the photos in albums and called them her extended adopted family members.

Hafer said she spoke to a woman who sold a set that was once the woman’s wedding gift. The set was new in the box and had the wedding shower card still in it. The woman told Hafer it never matched her kitchen, and she didn’t have the heart to get rid of it.

“That’s a memory from somebody so I enjoy hearing that and taking that on as, like, yeah part of my family,” Hafer said.