David Erickson began restoring old stoves (along with the occasional old refrigerator and old sink) full time in 1980.

Erickson restores old stoves to their original condition, disassembling them and sandblasting the parts to clean away decades of rust and grime. He rebuilds parts and orders custom-made nickel plating from a foundry in Wisconsin.

Erickson jokes, “My customers always ask me if the ovens in my stove are self-cleaning, and I look them in the eye and say, ‘Yes, you clean it yourself.’ ’’

Erickson also breathes new life into stoves that are damaged beyond use, by adding new components, to allow them to work in new ways. David has taken a century-old stove and added a new cooktop and electric oven, hiding the controls behind a vintage door. For clients who want the beauty and elegance of one of these old stoves in their home, without burning wood, or coal, David will do a custom conversion so his client can simply turn a knob to cook with electric or gas. Erickson's Antique Stoves also makes custom, matching, period range hoods for these stoves when necessary.

Erickson’s Antique Stoves clients have included Ralph Lauren and Whoopi Goldberg.