By Faith Morgan • Photography by John O’Hagan
Bob Page has been easing the heartbreak of shattered teacups and misplaced sugar tongs for more than three decades. The founder of Replacements, Ltd., houses an impressive 12 million-piece inventory of 400,000-plus patterns within 500,000 square feet of space. From ornate 19th-century silver tea services, to unpretentious blue-and-white transferware classics, and everything in between, there is no better or more reliable source for heritage china, crystal, and silver than the Greensboro, North Carolina–based company.
Bob never set out to become the world’s largest supplier of old and new tableware—that was a happy accident. As a hobbyist antiques buyer, he used to spend his weekends combing through second-hand stores for treasures to sell on consignment. “I was still working and doing this on the side, and I just lived for the weekends to go to the flea market,” he explains. “I remember when I was a kid, I used to love to go on Easter egg hunts, and this is kind of that adult Easter egg hunt. You never know what you’re going to find!”
