By Nathan Duke
Conan O’Brien fans who are looking for a piece or even several pieces of television history need look no further after a used furniture and appliance company from Astoria inherited a number of items from the “Late Night” show.
Build It Green, a nonprofit thrift store for building materials located at 317 26th Ave. in Astoria, received two truckloads of items that previously adorned the set of O’Brien’s show, which is moving to Los Angeles after 16 years of broadcasting in New York.
Among the items to be donated from “Late Night” to the thrift store are hockey helmets with baby dolls attached to them, a four−foot−wide Lazy Susan, brick wall flats that were used as backdrops on the show and black−carpeted band risers on which musical acts performed, Build It Green program manager Justin Green said.
“We’ve got wood paneling, fake plants that were on the set, cabinets and a cut−out of [NBC Nightly News anchor] Brian Williams,” Green said. “We’re excited that they called us.”
Green said the show chose the Astoria nonprofit because “Late Night” art director John Rourke Conners had used the thrift store to decorate several low−budget films on which he had worked.
“He had bought stuff from us when he worked on small, low budget films,” Green said. “His career expanded and so he returned the favor to us.”
Prices for the show’s items range in price from $125 for the Lazy Susan to as much as $250 to $400 for the band risers. Green said a few items have sold so far, but most of them are still in the thrift store’s warehouse.
Profits from the sales will go toward environmental initiatives, such as low−income housing or energy efficiency work, he said.
But O’Brien is not the only production to donate to Build It Green. The store has other items from films and television shows that shoot in Astoria and Long Island City, including a chariot and prom set from the TV show “Gossip Girl,” doors from “The Sopranos,” a giant wicker chair from a Wendy’s commercial, desks and chairs from the upcoming Julia Roberts film “Duplicity,” a bar sign from the 2007 film “P.S. I Love You,” a urinal from Sidney Lumet’s “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” and a large shipping crate from the upcoming remake of “Fame.”
Green said Build It Green, which was founded in 2005, primarily sells used kitchen cabinets, appliances and doors to borough residents, but 20 percent of the store’s business is with the entertainment industry.
“Customers can get a tax deduction and help support environmental initiatives by keeping materials out of landfills,” he said. “It’s a win−win situation for everyone.”
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e−mail at nduke@timesledger.com or by phone at 718−229−0300, Ext. 156.
