Vintage Wednesday: Shopping for Stained Glass Windows

As I mentioned Monday, finding stained glass windows can be difficult - especially in the United States. It's all about knowing where to look. I'd say if you're in the market, you could keep your eyes open in antique stores. I've been in many stores that specialize in antique windows and have them hanging from the ceiling as you walk through the stores. I'd also look at stained glass shops as sometimes they have examples of old windows. The best places in the U.S., however, are probably architectural salvage yards.

If you search online for just the terms "salvage yards" you'll probably get a smattering of places to get auto parts. If, however, you put in the magic word "architectural" in from of salvage yards and then add the closest major city, you're more likely to find the right places.

For example, I found The Brass Knob when I searched the DC area. They've collected mostly from DC area properties. I also found Caravati's in the Richmond, VA area. And though I've not explored these myself, OldHouseJournal.com seems to have collected a pretty exhaustive list of architectural salvage stores across the U.S. I'd imagine any place that had an enclave of homes built around the turn of the last century will have stained glass somewhere in the community.

But if you're lucky enough to travel to England, I'd check out UK Architectural Heritage. I've spent quite a bit of time on their site just looking at the pretties. Since I won't be traveling to England anytime soon, I'm left to dream...