ReVamped Furnishings Sell Vintage Furniture to ATL Movie Prop Co.

Most people know that the movie-making industry in metro-Atlanta is a booming business. With world class facilities like the Tyler Perry Studios at Fort McPherson and the Moonshine Post Production House located in the Old Fourth Ward, as well as others, it's no wonder. But Andrew and Deanna Cauthen of ReVamped Furnishings, an antique furniture restoration business, never thought that it would affect them.

Although many people have purchased their vintage, refinished pieces and they have delivered lots of furnishings to homes and spaces around the metro-Atlanta area, they never imagined getting a call from one of the largest movie props suppliers in the Southeast.

Deanna explained how the transaction transpired. "Several weeks ago, we acquired a couple of vintage televisions, and I thought, "I'll list these on Facebook Marketplace, and on a few other websites and see what happens," said Deanna, the Sales and Marketing Director for the business.

What happened was she ended up getting a call from Richard 'RJ' Rappaport, the president of RJR Props in Atlanta. "He initially contacted me via email about a 1955 Dupont TV that I listed for sale. He also said that he was interested in purchasing another one of our vintage televisions and he wanted us to deliver. When I looked at where he was located, I told him that his facility was outside of our usual delivery area, but he said that he would pay extra," said Deanna.

Andrew, who does the majority of the refurbishing for the business, shared that things got really interesting when his wife and RJ talked on the phone. "We've been refinishing and selling furniture for awhile, and we have learned the hard way that sometimes people change their minds about a purchase, so we require a small down payment before we deliver," said Andrew. Deanna told him that we needed a down payment before we could deliver, and that's when he asked her if she had ever heard of his company," continued Andrew.

When the Cauthen's went online to look at the company's website, they discovered that RJR Props was one of the largest suppliers of props to the movie and film industry in the Southeast.

According to a statement from their website, "[RJR Props Atlanta] provides tens of thousands of props to feature films, television, commercials, advertising campaigns, music videos, theater, conventions, exhibits, shows and private events."

Deanna said that she immediately scheduled the delivery, and when she and her husband, Andrew, arrived onsite, Mr. Rappaport personally gave them a tour of the large warehouse. "I had never seen anything like this in my life. It was a sea of electronics--old and new. It was truly amazing," said Deanna.

The warehouse, located off of Fulton Industrial Boulevard, showcased a myriad of props, many of which were used in recent popular films. "We saw mainframe computers and other types of technology that were used in The Hunger Games, Fast and Furious, and Hidden Figures movies. We also got to see the original studio cameras used to film The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and American Bandstand with Dick Clark.

"When you have a business that refinishes and sells lots of furniture, you never know where your next sale will take you and that was definitely true in this case," chuckled Deanna. "I'm anxious to see where our business will take us next."