People always ask me what my vintage white whale is. And while a piece from Vivienne Westwood’s 1993 Anglomania show or a 1950s James Cavanagh brocade silk evening dress would be nice—yes, I’m on the hunt—what I’ve always dreamed of finding is the Lenox Spice Village.
First released in 1989 by New Jersey-based Lenox (which has also made presidential china for Wilson, Roosevelt, Truman, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush, as well as the 2019 Met Gala), the dollhouse-like collection was made of 24 hand-decorated canisters, each meant to house the most popular cooking spices of the era. Each palm-sized replica, from allspice to thyme, was hand-painted to be representative of the contents: bay leaves adorned with delicate foliage, garlic with purple blooms, and saffron’s shingled roof a shade perfectly matching the color of the spice. It was originally a subscription model, which meant a new home arrived in the mail each month, priced at $15 each. The Spice Village is actually part of a larger, candy-colored kitchen world called Lenox Village, which includes a flour “Bake Shop,” three-townhouse butter dish, and a sugar “Sweet Shoppe.” The collection was retired in 1993.
Photo: Courtesy of Lenox
Photo: Courtesy of Lenox
The Spice Village went ultra-viral while we were all sheltering in place and looking for joy in our spaces—transforming some kitschy thing your grandmother had hanging on her kitchen wall into a lucrative collectible. Now, a single spice home like garlic or tarragon goes for upwards of a hundred dollars on second-hand resale sites like Etsy, and a pristine and complete set—with the display rack—can easily be worth a thousand dollars. But Lenox cooked up something special for fans: After 35 years, the Spice Village collection is back in production and now open for preorders.
The Asheboro, North Carolina-based collector Mindy Bryant has the original set from 1989. “I found it on Facebook marketplace,” she shares. “A very sweet older lady who only lived two hours away from me was selling it for only $150. I messaged her immediately to claim it and I made my best friend come with me the next day to go pick it up. I felt like I one a once in a lifetime prize.” Her collection also includes the matching napkin holder, recipe box, and a set of candlesticks. “I have mixed feelings about the reissue,” she adds. “On one hand, I think it’s fantastic that it’s being offered at the original price for those who haven’t been lucky enough to locate an original. On the other side, I’m slightly jealous of everyone who is able to just go buy it right out because I searched so long for mine.”
Photo: Courtesy of Lenox
Photo: Courtesy of Lenox
Maitri Mody, known online as Honey I Dressed The Pug, had been hunting for an original Spice Village but struggled to “find a complete set that was reasonably priced as these are in high demand.” So, she turned to the reissue for instant gratification—part of her larger approach to interior design, which she calls “dopamine decorating.” She adds, “I definitely plan on using mine, I love items that are both fun and functional.”
The new Spice Village will begin shipping in the spring of 2025 at the same price they were sold in 1989. For now, only the 24-piece Spice Village (sold both as a set and piecemeal) is available—no month-to-month mailer subscription needed. The only challenge I’m now facing? How to convince my fiance it belongs in our house.