Let's head to Pittsboro, where we found an amazing stained glass emporium with a fascinating story.

[cheerful music] [cheerful music continues] Right off Highway 64 here in Pittsboro would you believe is the largest collection of imported antique stained glass in the country?

Well, it is, in this warehouse right here, Paynes Antique Stained Glass.

Let's go check it out.

This family-owned business began in England over 47 years ago by John Payne.

- I got into it, I was doing the demolition, and I found five of these little windows in a tin box outside in the yard of an abandoned house.

And a friend of mine was an antique dealer.

So I took these to him, not knowing the value, and he paid me, and it was really good.

So I put out an advert in the "Nottingham Evening Post," and off it went.

'Cause in them days, you either threw 'em away or kept 'em in the rafters.

There's no market for it.

The oldest we've got is about 1860, '70, and the newest is 1938.

- [Deborah] And there's a World War II connection.

- After the war, we just threw the houses up 'cause there's so much bomb damage that they threw the houses up.

So there was no more stained glass, very little after 1938.

- I love that one.

- [Deborah] Customers choose from a vast selection of patterns, colors, and sizes right off the shelf, or have them altered, resized, and customized by John's son, Kurt Payne, who uses his own craftsmanship to carry on the family business.

- This one, this has got one broken piece in here, so I've gotta cut the piece out, open this up, replace it, and I'll resolder it back together.

- [Deborah] Beautiful.

- And then if people say they like this, but it's the wrong size, I can add to it, build borders, change colors, or I can do custom work straight from scratch if that's what they want.

My father started the business, what, 46 years maybe ago?

I've been working for him since I was 18, so quite a long time ago.

And then now my daughter, she started working a few years ago.

So pretty much in the family.

- [Deborah] Does your wife work with you?

- Yeah.

- [Deborah] And what does she do?

- She runs it.

[both laugh] - Let's take a look at some of these pieces.

- Of course, you've got Henry VIII from the 1800's, possibly from a school or college or something like that.

We're not sure.

And then this piece is one of several we have out of buildings.

It was depicted buildings in Leicester.

- [Deborah] This one's very intricate, because did they have to cut out little pieces of glass to go inside of each of these?

- [Cathy] Yeah, all these little teeny, tiny pieces and the way they've done these to make the windows, it really is, a lot of work went into it.

- And what's this for?

- And that's a little scene as well.

Little girl sitting by a windmill.

I think she's sitting by a river.

- [Deborah] Oh, I'm seeing it.

- [Cathy] Yeah, yeah.

- [Deborah] Well, some of these really do tell a story.

- Yeah, and then of course, this one is another one from Leicester, and we did find a photograph to go with that.

- [Deborah] Oh, I see.

- [Cathy] It's the Magazine Gateway in Leicester.

- Oh, that's pretty, it's got pink in it.

I like that.

- [Cathy] Yeah, those were originally sash windows.

Very unusual to see the beveled glass in England.

We didn't use a lot of the bevels.

- A sash window, you said?

- Yes, an up and down sash.

- That really is pretty, I love that.

- So that's had a new frame put on it.

[soft music] - Housed outside of the main gallery, you'll find even more of Paynes' growing collection of imported antique stain glass doors and windows for even more to choose from.

How many pieces are out here?

You said you've got all of the pieces here and then all of the pieces on the inside.

- [Cathy] Oh, there's thousands.

- Thousands and thousands.

[gentle music] Paynes Glass and Antiques is at 17 Paynes Road in Pittsboro and they're open daily.

For more information, give them a call at 919-545-3008 or go online to paynesglass.com.