L.A.’s Iconic Post-Modernist Furniture and Film Prop Dealer Harvey Schwartz Retiring, Selling $3.2 Million in Collectible Inventory
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Harvey’s on Beverly, offering California’s largest selection of post-modernist furniture (mid-century), original vintage rattan, and Hollywood TV & film prop memorabilia for over 50 years, will be closing its doors. Founder and proprietor Harvey Schwartz has been a Los Angeles ‘fixture’ since first opening the Company’s doors on Melrose Avenue in 1969.
Originally Harvey’s Antiques, the store was one of the first furniture shops to open on Melrose. The Company expanded in 1972 with Tropical Sun Rattan, dominating this popular furniture category and carrying original famed Paul Frankl designer pieces (on which Harvey literally wrote the book). In 2020, “Architectural Digest” wrote an article about Harvey titled, “L.A.’s Last Rattan Dealer” and included his rattan on the cover.
The Company expanded years later with 20th Century Props, a movie prop-house – at one time the world’s largest under one roof — carrying unique and historical props that also sell to the public the widest variety of items such as sci fi props spanning jet packs and atomic bombs to light-up T3 robot torsos. In 2015, Harvey moved the three businesses its current home in Van Nuys.
But all good things come to an end. With retail lease rates doubling, Harvey and his lady Melanie have cheerfully decided it’s time to retire while they’re young enough to enjoy it. Their first stop will be the sundrenched South Pacific beaches of Fiji (Harvey loves scuba diving).
Harvey’s impending year-end closure, however, is Southern California’s gain, as in the weeks ahead he will be putting the entire inventory of 6,000 pieces – retail valued at approximately $3.2 million – on sale including rare collectibles, famous designer pieces and historical furniture ranging from ornate floor lamps to ceiling lights and everything in between. It will all be put on sale through a curated series of staged weekend sales now through November. Only a fraction of Harvey’s treasures is sold on his website; most are sold via 1stDibs or Chairish and are available at: LAModerninLA.com
With a half century of dealing unique furniture collections, Harvey has mixed feelings to close a business in which he has invested so much passion, while building a loyal clientele both locally and globally. He has sold furniture to celebrities including Steven Spielberg, Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, Barbra Streisand, Jane Fonda, and many others. His last sale of an authentic, prized Paul Frankl rattan piece was to LACMA, and he has the last 15 pieces available for sale for collectors or museums. He has sold props and furniture used on the Hollywood sets of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, Iron Man, West Wing, Minority Report, Ocean’s Eleven and many more. He also sold the original rattan furniture used on the famed set of The Golden Girls and has top quality replicas with matching fabric currently available as well.
“I have a deep lifelong love for extraordinary and unique pieces of furniture, most of which come with history, with a story, with soul,” Harvey said. “But it’s the people that have made my 53 years in this business so special — a lifetime of buying and selling, building relationships with people as extraordinary as the furniture itself.
“I’m grateful for a terrific 50-year run and Melanie and I are excited, if just a bit melancholy, to start our next chapter in life scuba diving worldwide beginning with Fiji.”
For over 50 years we have been selling and dealing great vintage Modernist Furniture along with wonderful original Rattan. You can find everything for the modernist home. From Art Nouveau to early Post Modern, we carry a large selection of everything from fixtures to living room furniture. We carry the best in designers like George Nelson, Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames, Donald Desky, Paul Lazlo, Kem Webber, Herman Miller, and so much more. Visit us at: https://lamoderninla.com/harveysonbeverly/.
First Sale Dates Open to Public – Thursday, September 8, 2022 – Sunday, September 11, 2022 10am-4pm
Check website for details.
Harvey’s on Beverly Contact:
Harvey Schwartz
(818) 387-6556
MEDIA CONTACT
Margot Black
Cell (323) 376-6787
344100@email4pr.com
SOURCE Harvey’s on Beverly
