Reliance Appliance & Antiques - Berkeley

Specialties

Our specialty is restoring  Wedgewood and O'Keefe Merritt stoves from the 1950's. The stoves are completely rebuilt with new thermostats, safety valves and thermocouples, modern wiring, replated chrome, reporcelained grates etc. The business was expanded in the early nineties to include farm tables- assembled to order in our on-site workshop. We also feature replicas ( coffee and sofa tables, benches, chairs, entertainment and computer centers) made of reclaimed antique English and Eastern European pine. Soon after this innovation, original country pine antiques were added to the line. These are gathered mostly from Austria, the eastern part of Germany, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary and Romania. Reliance has been chosen as "Best of the Bay Area" by San Francisco Magazine.

History

Established in 1981.

Reliance was founded in 1981 by Doug and Teresa Harbo as an classic appliance store which included the rounded 1950's refrigerators and stoves. As the years past, we began specializing in Wedgewood and O'Keefe stoves because of the growing demand. We sell, restore and locally service these marvelous vintage appliances. In 1991 we added a line of imported antiques from Europe also started building furniture from reclaimed timber, especially dining tables.  We pride ourselves in being a well rounded supplier of reclaimed products and products made from reclaimed materials, which we ship nationally and internationally.  Reliance is a family operated business with four family members joining several other excellent long term employees. Our motto is "We have a passion for perfection".

Meet the Business Owner

Doug H.

Business Owner

Hi

My name is Doug Harbo and I have had a passion for everything old since I studied History at Yale.  My graduate work in England was a time I could study antiques first hand. Deciding not to teach,  I and my wife, Teresa, opened a business in Berkeley in 1981. By the nineties we were not only perfecting our craft of restoring vintage stoves but importing several containers a year of British and continental antiques.  We also discovered sources of lumber from old warehouses, racetracks and barns that were over one hundred years old. We imported these and began making furniture from them, specializing in farm style dining tables.  I have been joined by my two sons and several very talented and long standing employees.