(ARA) – Merry Anderson knows that a set of dishes is more than something to grace the table on special occassions — it can be a link to a family’s history and heritage.

Anderson explains, “Sometime in the late 1920s or early 1930s, my grandmother, Florence Herbst, bought six Mayflower dinner plates, intending it as the start of a complete set of dinnerware she could pass on to her daughter and down the line.” The Great Depression came along and Herbst was not able to buy any more pieces; however she gave those precious six plates to Merry’s mother, Kathryn.

With a growing family and the ensuing need to provide glasses, shoes, books, food and other necessities, the goal of completing the china set took a back seat. Nonetheless, those six plates were passed on to Anderson when she moved away from home. The plates traveled with her as she left her small hometown of Colombus, Wisc., following her dreams to Milwaukee and then to New York as she pursued her career.

“One day I re-discovered those six plates hidden in a cupboard,” says Anderson. Although she had all but forgotten about them, the dishes fueled a need she had been feeling to connect to her family’s past after years of living far from her roots. “I began writing to every place I could find that might be able to help me locate this beautiful old dinnerware. Soon it became a quest as I began to look for my own roots and place in this crazy world.”

Anderson’s search led her to Replacements, Ltd. — and her quest was over. The Greensboro, N.C. company specializes in helping customers track down discontinued and hard to find china patterns, glassware and silverware. The company has more than 11 million pieces of inventory from more than 250,000 patterns.

“Customers looking for a specific pattern can either call us, or visit our Web site,” says company spokeswoman Lisa Conklin. “We have more than 600,000 digital images on our site to help folks identify their pieces. If they don’t see their pattern, that doesn’t mean finding it is out of the question. We have a research department dedicated to helping people track down their patterns.”

Anderson — along with her complete set of Mayflower china — has moved back to Wisconsin, and now lives in the house that once belonged to her parents. The china is part of the family’s special occasion celebrations, but, Anderson says, she uses them throughout the year as well. “They’ve lasted this long, I feel that they shouldn’t be put away most of the year — they’re meant to be used,” she says. Anderson continues to add accessory pieces she finds through Replacements, and will continue the legacy by passing her set of Mayflower dishes on to one of her nieces when the time is right.

“To customers like Anderson, a set of china is more than just a collection of plates, cups and saucers — it’s about bringing families together to reflect on past memories and creating future traditions,” says Conklin. “We do more than replace dishes. We connect our customers with their most cherished memories.”

For more information, or to find your china pattern, contact Replacements at 1-800-REPLACE (800-737-5223) or visit www.replacements.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content

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