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A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET
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Courtesy of Eclectic/Encore Props
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 22, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET
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To get lost in Queens’ Eclectic/Encore Props was to drift across seemingly infinite dimensions. The 95,000-square-foot showroom in an industrial corner of Long Island City wasn't just a prop rental shop leasing a vast array of fittings and fixtures to film and TV stagers and set dressers, but a lovingly arranged showroom of myriad parallel universes of stuff.
“ One theme section has Halloween, and you walk a little bit more and you see our version of ‘Jurassic Park,’ and the nautical section, where we have six sharks on the wall,” described owner Suri Bieler of her surreal empire. “I was able to create a showroom where you walk through and you see the different worlds, which is wonderful. Wherever you go, you see something different.”
Bieler started the company with $175 back in 1979. In the decades since, it grew to be one of the largest — if not the largest — prop shops on the East Coast. Bieler recently sold the building Eclectic/Encore operated out of and is closing up shop after nearly a half-century in business.
The building needs repairs, she said, and Hollywood has had a tough few years. Bieler, who has a deep respect for the industry, especially for those who build its sets, expressed guilt for even acknowledging that fact.
“I created this business for the decorators,” she explained. “They're able to come in and choose objects that help them create the characters that we go to the movies, watch TV, to see, and we believe them. We believe that they've created a world.”
So did she.
Here are the other notable business and openings and closings.
Closings
Errol’s Caribbean Delights, 661 Flatbush Ave., Prospect Lefferts Gardens
After 25 years slinging pastries, curried goat, oxtail and other — per its name — Caribbean delights from its Flatbush Avenue storefront, Errol’s owners are retiring and the beloved neighborhood shop is shuttering. The local institution opened back in 2001, originally only selling hard dough breads, rolls, fruit cakes, and the like before eventually adding hot meals to the menu.
Montezuma, 119 West Kingsbridge Road, Kingsbridge Heights
The Bronx’s Montezuma Restaurant has closed after 40 years serving Tex-Mex and Caribbean cuisine. The single-story establishment opened in the mid-1980s and was a fixture on Kingsbridge Road with its white half-moon sign and frequent live entertainment. “We close this chapter with hearts full of gratitude and nostalgia,” reads a closure announcement posted to Instagram. “Forty years of history, shared laughter, unforgettable flavors, and music that brought our stage — in the heart of the Bronx — to life.”
The Red Caboose, 23 W. 45th St., Midtown
The heyday of hobby shops has long past, but until recently Red Caboose endured in its West 45th Street basement, offering custom built cars, miniature planes, NYC trains, automobiles, books, paints, parts and more. “On this site since 1946 there has been a hobby shop,” The Red Caboose’s website poetically explains, referencing the fact that before Caboose (which has had multiple locations) moved in in 1994, the store was home to Model Railway Equipment Corp. But, no more: Public records show the building was purchased this year and is reportedly slated for demolition.
Openings
One Flight Up
Max Flatow
One Flight Up, 108 Greenwich St., Financial District
Bebop drummer Joe Strasser and his longtime friend Mark Quinn have newly opened a literally named jazz club up a narrow flight of stairs, on the second floor of a Financial District storefront. Strasser came upon the space on Facebook Marketplace and, on visiting, found it reminiscent of the long-shuttered, legendary Village jazz haunt Bradley’s. The red-curtained space is now open Tuesdays through Saturdays, with jam sessions every night but Wednesday.
Shorts Theater, 236 Troutman St., Bushwick
A new nonprofit venue claiming to be “the first-ever cinema dedicated exclusively to short films” has opened in Bushwick. The shorts are programmed individually and priced by length, with three-minute breaks in between, according to the picture house’s website. When patrons need a break, they can step out to the lobby, which has seating and refreshments.
The Carrot Cup Cafe, 354 Pleasant Ave., East Harlem
The rabbit rescue mission Bunnies & Beyond has hopped into a brick and mortar space uptown. The cafe sells refreshments and offers the opportunity to learn about, hang with, foster and adopt bunnies, as well as other small animals. The community space is currently only open on weekends, but plans to begin opening weekdays beginning in November.
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Hannah Frishberg
Hannah Frishberg covers New York City arts and culture. Got a tip? Email Hannah at [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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