The MTA is selling old subway signs, retired equipment, and more at its annual holiday pop-up shop in Gravesend.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Cashin/MTA
Brooklyn’s most unexpectedly busy holiday shopping destination is the MTA’s annual memorabilia and collectible pop-up shop at a train yard in Gravesend — and, due to popular demand, the agency has added additional shopping appointments and walk-up availability for the last day of the sale on Dec. 15.
For three days only through Dec. 15, the MTA is selling all manner of “perfectly imperfect” transit-related goodies at the pop-up. Old subway station signs, handholds from subway cars, maps, train parts, and even massive retired garbage cans and benches are all up for grabs.
The sales are run by the agency’s asset recovery division — which is essentially responsible for getting rid of any old or obsolete equipment “in the most cost-effective, environmentally-friendly manner,” said division head Paul Dvoskin.
The MTA launched the annual holiday pop-up shops in 2021 to massive success. Prospective customers have to sign up for a shopping appointment ahead of time — and, with the pop-up only open for five hours on each day of its three-day run, this year’s appointments booked up just two days after the sale was announced.
According to MTA spokesperson Joanna Flores, 800 people were booked in to visit the shop as of Dec. 12, before more appointments were made available. Dvoskin said roughly 500 people had visited the sale by midday Thursday.
Particularly popular items at the sale include any signs from the World Trade Center stop, Flores said, and Dvoskin added that station signs from all over the city are also hot commodities. Shoppers are also particularly interested in items from the retired R32 “Brightliner” trains, which ended their 60-year run on the rails last year.
“The Brightliner stuff is flying right now, everyone loves this stuff,” he said….
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