Vintage service: bring and collect new memories

Saving natural resources

To better understand environmental savings that people do when buying previously owned tableware instead of purchasing entirely new products, we conducted an assessment with Helsinki Metropolitan Area Reuse Centre Ltd to calculate how much natural resources and CO2 emissions were saved during the year 2021. Results showed that all Vintage products sold during 2021 saved over 115 tonnes of solid natural resources and over 39 t CO2 emissions.

“For years, I've been searching everywhere for Moreeni coffee cups and plates. I found half a dozen in your store. I bought them all, and the price was very good too. Thank you!”

“It's great that you can get Vintage items in your stores. This summer, I broke a Ruska teacup that I had inherited from my parents. It's a lovely retro tea set that has lost none of its timeless appeal. I was really upset, because my set was missing a piece. Then, out of the blue, I found a Ruska teacup in your Järvenpää store. Such a great feeling! I hope my daughter will take care of these cups when she moves out.”

“In the 80s, Reimari was our tableware collection. I bought it piece by piece and received some as gifts. It's no longer in production, so I have continued buying Reimari pieces from your Vintage service, flea markets and antique stores. I even bought Reimari bowls from Belgium after seeing a Reimari for sale notice on Arabia's website. I still use the dishes daily and for celebrations. In the 80s, I also wove a linen tablecloth that matches the tableware colours.”

“I collect old and beautiful Arabia dishes in single pieces. Most end up being used at our cottage, but the true gems decorate my walls.”

“After our mother Hely passed away, we started fixing up her cottage. I wondered what her beautiful Arabia coffee set was called. I looked online and discovered that it was named Hely. Now I use her cups to serve coffee at the cottage.”

“In 1973, we received money from relatives as a wedding gift, and with that money, we bought, e.g. a coffee set called Saara. Over time, a small piece of one cup had cracked, and it bothered me. I once noticed a pair of Saara cups on the Vintage shelf in an Iittala store, and thus I got a new pair to replace the broken one! Marriage can now continue intact! I'm still searching for dessert plates; a few are missing.”

“My grandmother always set the table with Myrna cups and saucers when we were little. I remember how the cups were incredibly delicate and small. One slurp and you had to ask for a refill. At least the coffee never got cold! Even the youngest were allowed to drink juice from the cups, and their fingers were only ones to fit in the ear. When Iittala brought Myrna set into the 21st century and used the familiar yellow rose on Teema mugs, my heart was filled with joy. A tribute to my dear grandmother.”

“A sweet start to a beautiful summer. Holiday in Turku, a visit to the local Iittala store. I happened to see Kekkerit bowls on the Vintage shelf. The most beautiful Iittala glasses I have ever seen.”

“In the early 90s, when Finland was in the grip of a recession, I moved into my first home. I had always dreamt of getting dark green Teema tableware. For me, the collection was proper ‘adult tableware’ and symbolised a rite of passage. Even as a child, Arabia dishes were always part of our family's everyday life, though Teema was seen as being a bit too artistic. So I started collecting them, and I remember how my mother gave me a bigger Teema set as a housewarming gift. Heavenly!

I continued collecting green Teema until 2020 when I wanted a new, vibrant colour in my life. Thanks to the Vintage service, my green Teema tableware has found a new home and I was able to colour up my home with pastel KoKo dishes. I also bought the Koko dishes through the Vintage service as my preferred colour scheme was no longer in production. Yet, my love for Teema lives on in Moomin dishes. And the KoKo series matches perfectly with them – just like the green Teema had!

I now realise that I have always trusted Arabia – even when I was a child in the 70s. I’ve learned that Arabia sets can be combined harmoniously with everyday life and celebration. The Vintage service makes combining sets much easier. Without the service, I would have not discovered my colourful Koko dishes, as the series was discontinued several years ago. And that Teema tableware set that I loved as a teenager and thought was  proper ‘adult tableware’ has now turned into playful and colourful Moomin dishes in my home. Thank you for that.”

“I've been interested in old dishes for more than five years and I’m always looking for vintage glass and porcelain at flea markets. So it’s great that Iittala stores also have a Vintage service. It's a place where you can always make new discoveries. (In the beginning of the year I visited a flea market and found a Christmas themed mug from the 1970s that's worth 170 euros. Personally I prefer the landscape-theme porcelain dishes.)”
“From my childhood I vividly remember the Juhlaruusu (Festive Rose in English) collection by Arabia. Some time ago I found an incomplete Juhlaruusu set in a flea market. When I then found the missing pieces through Iittala's Vintage service, I was jumping with joy. Now, whenever I visit the Vintage shelf in an Iittala store, I get excited. That wonderful feeling of making a new discovery! For me, dishes are a journey into the past and memories, and the service respects it in a great way. It's also nice to chat with other people who are looking for vintage dishes: you hear stories about tableware that has been important to them. Thank you for the good service.”