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All the United States Maine Thorndike Bryant Stove and Music
Bryant Stove and Music is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

Bryant Stove and Music

A couple's 60-year love of collecting is on display at this unique stove repair shop in Maine.

Thorndike, Maine

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Adam Leiterman
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Another attraction at the doll circus   Bryant Stove & Music
The doll circus.   Bryant Stove & Music
Welcome to the dollhouse, or rather, the doll circus.   Callmenemoplease / Atlas Obscura User
The couple’s collecting originally started with stoves. These are still a large part of the business.   Callmenemoplease / Atlas Obscura User
The doll Ferris wheel, a part of the Bryant’s doll circus.   Callmenemoplease / Atlas Obscura User
Historical pictures on display inside the shop   Bryant Stove & Music
A collection of antique hand tools.   Bryant Stove & Music
Ornate antique stoves on display at Bryant Stove & Music   Bryant Stove & Music
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Bea and Joe Bryant have been collecting together since the 1960s. It started with the stoves. The couple began taking in a few cast iron cooking and parlor stoves in need of repair, refurbishing them, then selling them. It wasn’t until a Vermont man had hundreds of stoves that he wanted to get rid of that the hobby became a full-fledged business.

The stoves, along with antique cars, dolls, and musical instruments, make up the Bryant Stove & Music in Thorndike, Maine. The shop ships stoves to homes and business across the country, but some of the couple’s more ornate stoves have been set aside for the shop’s stove museum.

“Every one of them is excessively fancy,” Joe said in a 2016 interview with the Bangor Daily News. Some of the stoves date back to the 1800s.

The couple's love of collecting has caused the business to branch out from its humble stove beginnings. Joe’s love of restored cars and musical instruments also shows throughout the space, with a 1926 Ford Model T on display as well as drums, organs, and an antique Wurlitzer that visitors are encouraged to fire up.

But perhaps the most surprising addition to the stove shop is the doll circus. Bea’s love of doll collecting meant the couple had more than a few dolls around. That’s when they had the idea of making a doll circus featuring a carousel that stands as a centerpiece of their doll collection. A Ferris wheel soon followed.

Over time the stove emporium has become an eclectic and fascinating repository of the couple's unique collectibles. It's all part of a larger philosophy that Bea shared in the interview: “Just because things are new doesn’t make them better.”

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Antiques Dolls Music Collections Museums And Collections

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Operating on seasonal hours. Call to confirm operating hours.

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Callmenemoplease

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Ashawnta

  • Ashawnta

Published

November 24, 2016

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  • https://bangordailynews.com/2016/02/15/homestead/how-the-bryants-of-thorndike-have-built-a-business-life-out-of-their-collections/
Bryant Stove and Music
27 Stove Pipe Alley
Thorndike, Maine
United States
44.578875, -69.277573
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Nearby Places

Charcuterie

Unity, Maine

miles away

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Maine

Maine

United States

Places 129
Stories 23

Nearby Places

Charcuterie

Unity, Maine

miles away

L.C. Bates Museum

Fairfield, Maine

miles away

Camp Etna

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miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Maine

Maine

United States

Places 129
Stories 23

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