Kitchen Remodel, part 5B: the Flair story: the Riveting Denouement!
Samantha, from Bewitched, uses her Frigidaire Flair to make her dinner the “honest” way (sans nose-wiggling).
A brief recap: Amalia and I made a discovery at the junk store in the city: we stumbled upon a vintage Frigidaire Flair stove, in good condition, and after only a few moments’ study, bought it and lugged it home, with intentions to install it into our new kitchen. You can read the entire Part 1 here.
On the way home, I began to wonder how hubby Bryan and contractor Reuben would react . . . š
Well. You will not be surprised to hear, Gentle Reader, that the guys were not even a little bit delighted to see our well-packed and treasurous* (yes, it’s a word, to wit “worthy of being treasured, prized, or regarded as a treasure”) trailer load. I’ll not paint a complete picture here, but you longsuffering husbands can certainly imagine it, and you sweet and well-intentioned wives can feel gentle pity for my plight.
Picture it: the guys bounded out of the house to help us unload the two windows and door that they had sent us to the city to buy, full of happy energy and verve (“Finally! ‘She’ is back and now we can go to work on that door—“ and then they both came to a dismaying halt: “What on eaaaaartth?”)
Then–to make matters worse–they had to scout around to find the dolly (which is never where it’s easy to find) to help us unload my new treasure: a 350+-pound vintage stove. And two antique walnut cabinets. Oh, and an igloo-shaped doghouse, that I tossed on at the last minute, just for good measure.
Just because there was still a tiny bit of room in the trailer.
š Yikes.
Uh-huh. They weren’t pleased. Furthermore, they weren’t shy at all about sharing with us how unpleased they were.
But I won’t elaborate on all that. I am the soul of discretion, now and then. There are things that are meant to be private between a wife and her husband, not to mention between a wife and her contractor, and so all the sarcastic comments and the looks of dismay and the hasty insults will not be written about here, no sirree. We know how to keep things to ourselves, here at the headquarters of vomitingchicken.com. This is something you might not see often—Discretion In Blogging Savvy, otherwise known (out here in the blogosphere) as DIBS. š
DIBS: it’s time.
(Also? I have one hand duct-taped behind my back; that is how I’m able to do this so well.)
Suffice it to say: one of the guys had a hundred and one reasons why the Flair was a really bad idea, and the other one had a hundred and one more reasons why the Flair was a really bad idea. The reasons, indeed, were worth thinking about. They were.
I took it on the chin, Gentle Readers. I took it on the chin. And the thing was–the more the guys debated my miserable decision between them, the more, shall we say, that they hammered the nails into the coffin of my hopes and dreams of having this Flair installed into my new kitchen . . .Ā the more I wanted this Flair stove installed into my new kitchen.
And so . . . my poor new unwitting Flair (the innocent party in this entire saga) sat out in the garage for weeks–actually a couple of months, I think–lonesome, dirty, and bereft. One of the cats vomited on it. The guys weren’t building cabinetry yet, and I’m pretty sure that they were hoping (against hope!) that they could wear me down and convince me to buy something different before they started building.
My new darling collected a thick layer of dust. I felt sad about it, every time I passed it or thought about it. The word “ignominious” became a word that the Flair and I shared, often, in our many conferences, huddled together on the dirty floor of the garage.
Also “humiliation,” not to mention “rejected” and “forlorn.” “Downcast” was another one. Funny thing: the Flair turned out to be just as much of a word-lover as I am! We bonded.
My Frigidaire Flair: genius bargain buy, or utter stoopidness?
Meanwhile, I had to wonder what it was, exactly (besides the obvious, which was that it is so different from the norm, and that the guys hated it so–just kidding about that last one) that made me so fond of my new/old vintage stove? In order to actually get my new/old stove installed into my new/old kitchen, I was going to have to (clearly) come up with a few decent reasons for why I wanted it so badly.
“Just because” certainly didn’t cut it. “My sister Mollie loves hers, and she makes gorgeous breads!” probably wasn’t good enough, either. Also in this category of reasons that were sweet, yet not convincing enough to do the job: “Turquoise is my favorite color.”
Oh. Well. I had a startling thought, at least once. To wit:
Could the guys be right? Was I, after all, just being stubborn (I’ll admit that I have been guilty on this point once) and impulsive, or was this stove, after all, a good thing to put into my new kitchen? These are things I pondered.
The pluses:
- I got it for a song, for just a tad over $200.00. Price a double wall oven, next time you’re out. They cost around ten times that much.
- I’ve lost a lot of faith in newer-built appliances (at least the ones that I can afford!), as in recent years the appliance repairman is on my speed-dial. I’m tired of shabby workmanship, and appliances that seem to be designed to break as soon as possible. Also: how long it takes to get a repairman to come to my house, and then, and then: the disturbing report: “I don’t think they make parts for this thing any longer; after all, it’s ten years old!” Gaaaaaah.
- I love the idea of the ovens being up at waist level, where I don’t have to stoop waaaay over, to look inside them. The safety issue of that hothothot oven door swinging down: how many permanent burn tattoos do I sport on the inside of my forearms? Enough.
- Two ovens! Two sizes! Two different temperatures! Need I say more?
- Design, design, design. When these stoves were built, there was . . . (please permit me) flair in the design of appliances. It was the 60s, folks! The design people actually seemed to have a fondness for the folks who were going to use them. The modern stove that I am using now is not ugly, but it’s certainly not beautiful. It’s utilitarian. It works fine. But it gives me no joy, from any aesthetic standpoint. Personally I think appliance designers could do a much better job–for example, it is always a bit of a puzzle which knob controls which burner. I know that’s a quibble, but–hey! How long have they been designing stoves, anyway? Why haven’t they figured out how to make the controls more intuitive and logical? Is cooking not important enough for a bit more thought and effort here? *stepping stiffly off soapbox now* I walked around a home store this week and looked at the design of stoves today. Sorry. Nothing there with flair. (I know that may sound lame. But hey. I’m an artist. We artist-types seek out flair.)
- Unique, dandy details in design: for example, the oven door suspension! The Flair doors are attached to parallelogram hinges with counterbalancing springs that swing the doors straight upward and out of the way for safe, easy access. It makes me happy just to open the doors and swing them up. So smooth! So . . . . full of flair. I know. I need to get out more.
- The stovetop drawer is handy in the way it slides out when in use, but then slides back in with a click when you don’t need it. It’s just cool.
On the con side of the equation:
- The index card (that was taped to the front, with the cheery claim “works!” written on it) notwithstanding, I had no idea if it worked or not, and who I could get to fix it if it didn’t work (the guys had said: “it ain’t gonna be us!”).
- It lacks a few modern features: high-temperature oven cleaning is one.
- It’s electric, and I was wanting to install a gas stovetop at least, into this remodel.*
- It’s huge and blocky and a bit dominating. Fitting it into my kitchen design was going to take some real thought and effort.
- It’s a nontraditional size and shape, which means that there’s no sliding it into a space that is not custom-made.
Bryan and Reubsy took their time to build the cabinets, and as they built them, they groused about that oven. (Yes, I heard you, guys!) To be fair, they did, after all, make some decent points:
- What if the Flair didn’t work?
- What if it did work, they built a cabinet to fit it, and then it stopped working?
- Who could ever fix it, in the event that that would happen?
- Why was Pluto no longer considered a planet, what was all that about?
- Why was the Cowboy Coffee Cake all gone? And when would there be fresh Cowboy Coffee Cake?
- Why didn’t I just go buy a new stove at the new-stoves store, and donate the Flair back to the once-lauded, now-despised Ecostore--after I made more Cowboy Coffee Cake?
- Why was I ever born? Why did they ever let me out of the house?
- Whose Big Idea was it to remodel this blasted kitchen, anyway?
- Why was the Ecostore ever born? Why didn’t they boycott that horrid business model, years ago??
- Why weren’t the landfills bigger, so all the Flair stoves in the world could be dumped into them, en masse, and forgotten forever and ever and ever?
I heard all of it. It stung, Gentle Readers, it stung.
This what happens at our house when a new pot rack is hung above the new kitchen island (my Flair in the background).
Meanwhile, one day when I got home from running errands, I found the guys had gallantly muscled that beast out of the dirty garage, into our temporary kitchen on the sunporch. So, I purred to my Flair, when nobody was around: you’re inside now. That is a good sign, indeedy it is. I happily topped it with a piece of plywood and we used it for the time being as our coffee-making and salad prep area.
We still had no clue if it worked or not. That question stuck in my heart like a burr under the proverbial saddle atop a skitterish race horse: did it work?
Did–it–work? I woke up in the night, in a cold sweat, worrying about it. I knew what shame and ignominious defeat I would be privy to, if it didn’t work. I’d be open to even more insults, laughter, pointing, rude and tiresome guffaws, the whole she-bang. Also, even worse yet: I’d have to go shopping for a new stove. Ugh.
So I had an island in my temp kitchen, and my Flair was it. My Flair made a nice island. It’s turquoise, did I tell you? I–love—turquoise.
For the record: I know that many remodelers and homeowners today fancy themselves wanting a commercial kitchen the likes of which they see on those cooking shows on the telly. I’ve heard my own friends and family hankering after big professional stoves made by Aga or Viking and, after all, I can see the appeal: they are massive, shiny, new, eminently useful. Also pricey, well out of the budgets of mere mortals like myself.
(Please humor me with one more note in this vein, while we’re on the subject: The designers of these fancy stoves, obviously, are not thinking about toddlers in the kitchen, or young children learning how to cook on those stove tops! All those blessed knobs, within reach of chubby little hands, and placed right there for your nine-year-old to spill pancake batter all over them! Oiy! Do stove designers just hate families, or what?)
For the record. In fairness. And so forth. I did go shopping at the big stores and I looked at a lot of conventional stoves, and I studied the double wall ovens (this was what the fellas thought I should have). They were nice and shiny and all, but pricey ($2K!) and the result: I wanted the Flair even more.
I did some Flair-related homework, so I didn’t appear an uncomprehending nit-wit who can’t see more than her side of any issue (whistling):
- I grilled my sister Mollie about her Flair, quite thoroughly. She continued to hold her previously- mentioned support for her Flair, and for mine. I drank in her enthusiasm, since it was, after all, the only positive words I was hearing in support of my position.
- I posted a picture of my Flair stove on my vomitingchicken.com Facebook page (by the way, you oughta “like” it; we have a lot of fun over there) and asked for input. At least one savvy reader suggested that in the day of the making of the Flair (from 1960 to 1970) that things were built out of “real metal” and that I should hang onto it. A couple others (kindred spirits, obviously) expressed amazement and frank envy. I reflected.
- I did as much reading online as I could. I was impressed with the little club of “crazy for my Flair!” folks out there. Actually several clubs, that I ran across in a very short time.
- I sent a request to a Google group* to join a Frigidaire Flair forum.
- I checked out a couple of Facebook Flair groups.
Then one day I came home from another of the never-ending trips to the hardware store (*sigh* you need more lumber? Again?) and the grocery store (ran out of butter for--you guessed it–Cowboy Coffee Cake) to find that Bryan and Reuben had moved the Flair across the room to a 210 outlet and had plugged it in. My dad was there, also. They were standing around it, in frank amazement.
Gentle Readers . . . it worked. My Flair stove did operate like it was supposed to.
I didn’t have egg on my face, after all! Bryan wasn’t going to throw me indecorously out into a snow bank for bringing home The Wrong Thing. Not this time, anyway. My life was spared. My Flair worked. Reuben and Bryan and Dad stood around my stove (which was still sitting on the floor) and contemplated it.
I don’t know how long they stood there with their mouths hanging open, because for my part–I was out doing cartwheels in the yard.
Therefore, the cabinet-building went on as planned, and the guys built this for my Flair:
We were So Happy.
Which is why it was such a crushing disappointment when it didn’t work the first time I tried to bake bread in it.
It was Christmas week, and I was baking something special for the kids. It was so much fun to turn the lights on in the oven, and to preheat it for the first time, and to slide the loaves of bread in to my new Flair! Such a triumph, after all!!
But for some reason . . . after the baking time was complete, they didn’t look quite right. They were still doughy inside . . . the oven didn’t seem very hot . . . well, it was warm but certainly not the 450Ā° that I had it set on. Oh . . . noooo . . .
Quietly, with my back to the houseful of people (waiting for hot bread in the next room) I fiddled with the knobs. Wait a minute. I had turned on the big oven, and it was barely warm. The smaller oven didn’t work at all. Oh . . . nooooo . . . .Ā What on earth had happened? Why didn’t it work?
I kept this bit of disappointing intel to myself, Gentle Readers. After all. If I was going to be brutally murdered by an enraged husband and contractor duo, it wasn’t going to be during Christmas week, for pete’s sake. It could wait. No harm in waiting until the kids had left, anyway.
I quietly slid the unfinished bread into my other oven and finished the baking, and I didn’t try to use the Flair again that week. I didn’t talk about it. I tried not to worry about it. But I knew I had a big problem on my hands.
But then. You know, of course it was heavy on my head and heart, and I was praying about my Flair all this time. I can only attribute a divine, merciful, loving power with the next series of events, to wit:
Remember that *Google group that I reached out to, a couple of months earlier? I had sent the group forum a message about the couple of things on the stove that I had discovered that didn’t work–this was before the ignominious fail of the entire thing at Christmastime.
Well, I finally heard from somebody in that group. His name was Tom, he was an angel sent from God a car mechanic from California, and he had (get. this.) a hobby of collecting and repairing old Frigidaire Flair stoves. Yes. I am totally not making this up, Gentle Reader.
This was his first email to me: (edited for brevity, although it’s a bit late for that, eh?)
Amy, whenever you have an old Frigidaire Flair, replace the plug, no matter how good it looks, they get old and rot. You can get new plugs that are an exact match at Home Depot, for about $15.00, most of the time that helps, is it the speed heat burner (that isn’t working)? . . . the switch, they go out over time, I can send you another one. Test the small oven, if the element does not come on and the broiler won’t come on, then it’s a switch, if the element does not come on but the broiler does, it’s the element, I can send you both, let me know! –Tom
This was too good to be true. I could barely believe my good fortune. This guy seemed to know a thing or two about Frigidaire Flairs! I excitedly emailed him back, and over the next few days we conversed at length about Flairs in general, and my Flair in particular. I learned a lot about my old/new stove. For example:
“They built the Frigidaire Flair range from 1960 to 1970, built by General Motors, that’s why the panel looks like a car dashboard, and they’re built like an old Buick! They weigh over 350 lbs, but I’m sure you found that out . . .”
Tom described what I needed to do first to fix my stove: replace the plug, and also put in a new fuse, and also where that fuse happened to be located. Also, he told me this:
“I have about six of these stoves in my garage, I have used working parts, when people try to sell their Flairs, I get the people to donate them to me, then I send parts off to people who need them, just pay postage, it keeps these stoves running, let me know what’s happening after you replace the plug, thanks, Tom”
Tom asked for a picture of mine, and he figured out from the picture which model it was, and more.
“Ok . . . Your model is from 1964, just a little different, I will see what parts I have for yours, no worries, I had a few of these that I gutted last year, the 1964 model is a little harder to find, but had a lot of chrome, and when it’s cleaned up and you have it all lit up at night it really does looks incredible! It’s really practical art, craftsmanship from another time…”
No worries, said my new best friend Tom.
Once I had this wondrous and practical information from Tom, from California, I broached the subject to Bryan: my Flair doesn’t seem to work, but here’s how we can fix it. Bryan–bless him–was so tired and numb from working hard all week, and then coming home to work hard on the remodeling, that he didn’t argue with me. We stopped at Home Depot and bought the cord and plug, and a fuse. Then we got busy on other stuff, and I forgot about it (kind of) for a couple of weeks.
Then the day came.
Amalia and I were out running errands (honestly, writing all about this story helps me realize where all my time has gone in the past few months: running errands!) and my cell phone buzzed from my purse pocket. Startled (usually Amalia has my ‘phone in her pocket), I fumbled in my purse and found it and answered it. It was Bryan.
“Your stove works,” he said. “All of it, except for one knob that seems to be broken. We replaced the plug, two fuses, and fixed a couple of broken wires in the back. It’s all in working order.”
He sounded just as shocked as I felt.
So that’s the story, Gentle Reader. Bryan and Reuben were both quite amazed, too, at how easy it was to fix the Flair stove. They bought wires from the auto store in town, to fix the couple of busted wires. To make things even better, our appliance repairman (his name is Josh, and you know that we are on first-name basis of course) was visiting the other day, repairing my clothes washer, and he saw the Flair and mentioned that he services a few of “those weird stoves” and that he has parts for them.
Oh, and by the way, Tom mailed me a new switch for the knob that was broken, and a little glass plate that was missing from inside my Flair.
Affirming that it all, after all, is good.
finis and huzzah! and *hugs*]
Thanks for sticking with me, Gentlest of Readers. You’ll be hearing more about my Flair stove and my kitchen remodel–which, believe it or not–is actually beginning to get closer and closer to being finished.
Huzzah, indeed!
53 thoughts on “Kitchen Remodel, part 5B: the Flair story: the Riveting Denouement!”
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I think it’s awesome that you found such a treasure. When I moved into the house that we are in now I had a double oven that I absolutely adored it was crica late 60’s and made by White Westinghouse.. You couldn’t see in the doors as the interior was all chrome.. What made this my very most favorite oven in the whole world was the fact that the doors opened from one side to another not top to bottom.. We moved in here in “93” and they worked till about 3 years ago.. Unlike you I didn’t seek out groups for my beloved oven.. Right now I’m hitting myself in the head for not thinking about it.. Well as it goes it broke again and this time nary a part to be had not even a universal one my hubby could rig.. Needing my ovens we made the decision to change it out.. Now the new one is the bane of my existence. If it’s the same hole that the other one came out of but it is not as wide inside so a lot of my cookie sheets don’t fit in it.. Not just that but it does not keep an accurate temperature and it takes forever to preheat wishing I had my old one back!!!
Ohhhhh Wendy, I do feel your pain! I’m so sorry for your regrets. Hopeful that you’ll figure out how to get your new stove to work better.
Wendy, I read your comment to my daught Amalia and she said “she used the phrases ‘nary a part’ and ‘bane of my existence.’ I like her, Mom.” For the record. š
My 1950s O’Keefe and Merritt ($250 fifteen years ago in Denver antique store) is the best stove I’ve ever used and I’m 67. They now sell for thousands. It was a great buy!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I’ve heard of similar stoves that are still going strong. Great buy, indeed!
I love this story. š What a horrifying discovery when the flair didn’t work that first time! Horrors! I am so glad it is working now, and what a pleasure it will be to use for years ahead. Yaay!
I’m glad it’s working now too, Bethie *phew* Crisis Averted!!
Your story and your stove are soooo cool! So glad you found “Tom” and all the parts to make your stove work. Cheers.
The vomiting chicken tells the tale of the vomiting cat. Loved it. The treasures which we wrestle for become the dearest.
Well said, Claudia!
You sure have a Flair for telling a great story, and the pictures are great as well. I can’t wait to read the book “How to turn an old railroad station into your dream home”.
Written, no doubt, Chef, by my grandchildren. *sigh* Or great-grandchildren.
Wow, what an adventure! I really appreciate how Tom has a hobby of collecting and repairing Flairs; that’s just really cool!
I read this on my lunch break on my phone- and, although the reading took up a lot of the break it was well worth it. I will answer your question “why were you ever born?” You were born to save this masterpiece from the dump and make this Flair famous, that’s why. I am going to include this post in my weekly blog roundup because…well, because I love recycling, I love the way appliances were made to last back when, and because…well, because I love chrome. And because that stove would take up about 1/2 of my small home. If I didn’t have a small home, I would envy….you……so………much. So anyway, I showed it to my husband, the family cook and it was instant love for him too. “Waist high ovens!” he exclaimed. I know my son, who is in his mid 20’s and loves to fix things, and loves old things, would have loved to help you fix this.
Alana, if your son is ever out here in “flyover country” make sure that he stops by. I’d love to show off my Flair to him! And thank you for your kind words. And for the mention in your weekly blog roundup, too. You know that you’ve always been my favorite. š
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I am so glad it worked out! š
I love the way you think and speak and write…..hahaha, you sound like ME….and I also love words.
I must tell you that many years ago, in the mid to late 60’s in fact, I had a new stove that was very similar to your Flair. It had the slide out range surface, and double ovens. But my ovens were more traditionally placed: one on the bottom and one on the top. The very best thing about that?
T. I. M. E. B. A. K. E. and S. E. L. F. C. L. E. A. N.
Oh how I adored that brand-spanking-bright-and-shiny-new-object-of-my-affections! Sigh….I rather wish I still had it, but it stayed with the house. I am so happy for YOU, though. Look forward to more of your stories.
Thanks Sharon! I know that there were quite a few models of the same style made in the 60s.
Oh my goodness, Amy, what a wonderful read this morning! Never a dull moment at your casa! Of course, your gift of telling the story through words is what makes it the wonderfully entertaining read that our is (with a few LOL’s, of course!). Ahh, you make us feel a bit more human to know we’re not the only ones who do (what some others perceive to be) crazy things!
I do hope you post a picture of her lit up at night when you have her chrome all shiny!
Wishing the two of you many wonderful conversations in the years to come!
Oh Joyce, I WILL post that picture, no problem! And thanks for the sweet words. They do mean the world to me. *hugs*
Amy I was going to tell you that when my parents built the house in Burwell in 1964 that this is the same stove my mom picked out!!!
As I remember it always worked well.
No way, Judy. Your mother had impeccable taste, obviously. Do you happen to have any pictures of it?
We just bought a house and we are remodeling and the house has one of these stoves. We are not interested in keeping it. I’m wondering if anyone would be interested in mine?
Jenna, there are several Frigidaire Flair groups on Facebook that you could put out the word to try to sell yours. Also, you might try calling your local appliance repair shop!Sometimes they’ll take it off your hands for parts.
I had a Flair in my first house and I loved it! It is beautiful with the lights on and it was fun to watch things cook. The doors are much safer. The whole thing was just cool. It was originally light pink but my husband took the doors to the base to an auto body shop and had them sprayed white. We miss bothe the house and the stove.
A PINK FLAIR?? That must have been the cutest ever! I’ve never seen a pink one, but that doesn’t surprise me, considering the era in which they were made. Sweeeet.
I was wondering what power cord you bought for this?
I have owned my Flair for four years and have never gotten to use it because it didn’t come with a power cord and I have no idea what to get for it. I’m scared of blowing it up or something. Please help!
Hi Lacy! Boy, I can empathize with you. The only help I can give you, though, is to get on Facebook and join the Frigidaire Flair groups. This one I’m in: https://www.facebook.com/groups/frigidaireflair/
You can post that you’re looking for parts and maybe you’ll get lucky and find somebody who will sell you that cord. Also, you might want to check with the appliance repairmen in your area. Sometimes they will come upon Flairs and will keep them for parts. Good luck!
p.s. Oh! I almost forgot. Also, many times you can find parts on Ebay!
What a heartwarming story and what a wit you have! I have a 1964 Flair and I love it. Mine was white and needed a paint job but I vinyl wrapped it instead, in turquoise. To top it off I put a picture of Samantha on the side, which is a vinyl sticker. I don’t see a way to attach a photo. I’m sure it would make you laugh.
Willy, I would love to see that photo! post it on your FB page and I’ll see it that way! Thanks for your nice comment. Turquoise is the best! That was a creative way to improve your Flair.
Hello,
I saw your article when I came across other posting of vintage stoves. I love the design of the Flair, I hate stove being low to the floor. Since I cook for only my husband and I most of the time I use a counter top Hamilton toaster rotieser oven. I even take it in the camper. At home I have an induction stove which is a good safety feature. I wish todays manufacturers would bring back such art and design to kitchens. Seems like they want to build homes and kitchens like restuarants and hotels. 3000 sq feet vertically with 6 ft of yard around the house, yuk.
Thanks for your story, glad its worked and hope all is going well.
Nancy Mc Fadden
Thank you, Nancy! I loooove my Flair stove, even now, several years later! I agree that it’s time for manufacturers to bring back this elegance and design to kitchens. Thank you so much for commenting. Pop back any time!
Dear Amy,
Tonight I reread your Flair story and I finally got around to posting photos on Facebook. See how I vinyl wrapped my Flair in turquoise! And Samantha is on the side!
With admiration for all you do,
Willy
I would SO love to see that photo, Willy. I don’t see it on your Facebook feed. Could you message it to me? (Turquoise!! Lucky you!)
I have a RCIB-645 that was bought used in 1987 for $75.00’s. I have the bottom cabinet, but no ventilation fan, like y’all have. We’ve used it ever since. It helped raise four children, and numerous grandchildren over those years…many who lived here off and on. A few elements, I had to rewire one burner, and two or three oven elements. Everything still works. It weighs as much as a small car, which is, I suppose, one the reasons it’s given such good service. The only problem is availability of parts. Mexico was producing burners and elements for a while, but they stopped quite a while ago. The only place I could find parts, was on eBay, and many were used, but were tested by an electrician. Though, Mexico or eBay, they are expensive. I could go on, as I have33 years experiences with it! Anyway, good luck to you. It looks to be in very good shape, and I hope you get many years use out of it…..David
P.S. Don’t hesitate to ask for an assist if you get stumped. I’ll be glad to help, if I can.
David, I’m so glad you reached out. I am stumped right now as I’ve been looking for a few parts that I’ve been unable to locate. I check ebay occasionally. I love my Flair and use it every day, but the knob that operates the lights no longer works, and there’s another part that I’ve been looking for (I don’t remember what it’s called) and if you have any leads for Flair parts, I’d love to know what they are! Thanks again for reaching out. I love my Flair stove!
I came across this as I was looking for a picture of my stove to show someone. i LOVE my Flair stove. one of the best things about it is that I can fix it myself! At least the burners, which I fixed over Christmas vacation. Anyway, I know it has been a while since you posted this, and I hope that you are still loving your stove!
Jackie, I’m so glad you reached out! I use my Flair stove EVERY day, and I do still love it! It is a curiosity for sure–other people who come to our house are always fascinated by it–but it is a practical and lovely tool in my kitchen and I do love it! We’ve fixed our Flair stove a couple of times, as well, and I think that’s an upside, for sure! I have a little problem right now that i would love to fix. Have you ever bought parts for your stove?
I grew up with one of these in the house my parents bought and remodeled when I was 3
I always loved the design of the Flair, and when I got older, came to appreciate the engineering and design of them. For example, have you noticed how, when you have the exhaust fan on (I assume that yours turns on like my mom’s, by lifing the front panel of the exhaust), how the onen doors tuck under the exhaust vent front panel, so that if you burn something in the oven, you can tick the oven door up under the exhaust and scavenge all the smoke out of the oven? Brilliant. I’ve also found that the exhaust hood is very rare on these – treasure it. In our current house, we have a chest-high single wall oven, with a pull-down door, and I’ve burned my arms and elbows a couple times on the open door when takin food out. I wish someone would make a wall oven with parallelogram hinges again. My mom’s only complaint with hers was that the oven had uneven heat areas – the front near t g e glass was cooler than the back. But I just loved that thing. Great memories.
Mark, I’ve never noticed that aspect of the range hood, but now I’m going to go out and play with it. I just love my Flair, too. It is a joy to use, and that is rare in a stove these days, I’m thinking. Thanks for the tip, and for sharing your memories with me!
Hi!
The previous owners of my house bought one to match the mid-century vibe of the house and I used it almost every day for 2 years. Now that we are selling the house we need to fix one of the burners, that is not working. Do you have any idea of how to rewire it or find the parts needed?
Thank you š
Mariana, I have a few recommendations. 1. If you have a good electrician in your life who will take a look at it, the wiring is very straightforward and easy to fix. My hubby (NOT an electrician) and our contractor figured it out. 2. Do some digging on line and you’ll find a lot of support in fixing and caring for your Flair. For example, I belong to a Google group that I get periodic updates from. Everything from Flairs for sale, to repairs, to parts for sale, and more. You may be able to get to it via this link: https://groups.google.com/g/frigidaire-flair/c/Kuyadiyfu5U/m/mMka9Au9DQAJ?pli=1 3. There are also a couple of Facebook groups devoted to Flairs. Good luck! Oh! Another: 4. Sometimes your local appliance repairman might be able to fix it, or may have parts from Flairs that he has removed from other places. Ours actually told us this.
Greetings, I am in a search for a Frigidaire Flair Custom Imperial stove myself. I have seen a few within driving distance. There’s even a guy selling 2 Tappan Fabulous 400s in my town. I am just looking for the best option. We have a large spare room with a fireplace that I am hoping to turn in to a multipurpose gathering room and possible 1 room apartment for my parents or in-laws should they need it in old age. Nevertheless, your posts are very enlightening. Do you have a post, photos, or youtube videos that you’d be willing to share of a walk-around of the Frigidaire stove for us enthusiasts who have not yet seen one in the flesh?
Cameron, what a coincidence! I’m working on one right now. Hopefully I’ll finish it soon and will publish it. Check back in (or add your email address to the box up on the right so you are notified!) for that updated!
Cameron, Wow, your remodeling plan sounds amazing! Sadly, I don’t have Youtube videos up presently, but that’s not a bad idea for the future. I did write a follow-up to my Flair series just last week. It addresses a lot of questions that readers have asked me in the past few years. You can find it here: https://vomitingchicken.com/a-timely-return-to-my-beloved-frigidaire-flair-stove/
I totally āget youā. My mother replaced our old flare in 2009 with a modern oven which I pleaded for her not to but they couldnāt find parts and my brother wasnāt about to try and fix it again. Fast forward to 2023 and I just bought out my brother and sister and bought my first home at the age of 62. My first order of business was to buy a flare and replace the stove. Had to crawl up into the garage attic to find the front of the original cabinetry which we still had. In fact, we have two because my grandfatherās house had the same stove/oven. My brother, happily rebuilt the cabinetry and they installed my oven. I now have my childhood kitchen back. I canāt tell you how much that warms my heart. Iām going to buy an extra oven in case this one ever goes. Iām determined that I will about my life with a Frigidaire flare.
Pamela,
Your story makes me so happy. Hooray for old vs new. Hooray for your brother and his generous act. Hooray for you, and your strength and determination to make this dream of yours a reality! I’m totally with you on buying that extra oven in case yours goes out. I’ve wanted to do the same thing here. Way to go, Pamela!
Where’s the handle for the roll to you cooktop?
Well, that’s a good question. It’s sitting on the countertop, next to my Flair. I ought to figure out how to get it attached, I reckon!
What a fabulous story! My grandparents had a Flair in their home in the LA area and they are just the coolest! Grandparents have passed, but the house and the Flair are still in the family. The house is currently being rented and my mom received notification yesterday that something isnāt working in the oven. Iāve convinced my mom (who lives in Ohio, as do I) to try and find help from the Flair community. (She will likely read this comment as Iāve sent her the link to your blog.)
Do you by chance have angel Tomās contact information? You mentioned he is in California, which is perhaps a sign from above. It is difficult to assess and rectify the problem from afar, without knowing what exactly is the problem or what a repair person should be looking for.
Iām hoping to save the glorious Flair. Any help is appreciated!
Gigi,
How nice to hear from you and I’m so happy to hear about your family home and Flair! Sadly, the last couple of times I’ve tried to get ahold of Tom from CA have not been fruitful. He did email me at one time and said that he had been involved in a car accident and was having some health issues. Alas. Poor guy.
My advice to you: put out feelers to the appliance repairmen in the area where the Flair is. In our area at least, I know of two appliance repairmen who pick up old Flairs just to part them out. In fact, the repairman who came to my house yesterday has a Flair himself, so he picks up old ones so he can repair others. I would guess this is not that uncommon! Our own Flair had a few minor problems (I think I mentioned this fact in the story you read) and our contractor figured out how to fix them. I think they are relatively easy to repair if you can find the parts! I hope this is helpful and I wish you the best of luck!