Meyer Newman creates Newel Art Galleries as a place for Broadway producers to rent furniture and props to use in their theater productions. Meyer Newman took 20 antiques from his personal home and displayed them on a table in an empty store on 47th Street and Second Avenue.
Meyer Newman hired a picker who would collect discarded furniture from various tenants on the Upper East Side.
Newel furnishes many Broadway plays and becomes a well known prop shop. (Pictured: Newel Art Galleries featured in the My Fair Lady Playbill credits, 1941)
Newel became the main prop source for budding television. During this time, productions were programmed live and filmed in New York City.
Meyer Newman passes away at the age of 70 years
Bruce Newman, Meyer’s son, inherits Newel and becomes the new CEO.
Newel moves to 425 E 53rd Street. This is the first time all the inventory is stored under the same roof.
Newel Art Galleries at 425 E 53rd Street. A six-story building where each floor represented a different time period.
Newel begins their print advertising campaign. Each ad depicted a single object positioned on a black background with a witty tag-line. (Pictured: An example of a Newel advertisement featured in Architectural Digest)
Newel receives various awards and recognition for their exceptional ad campaign (Pictured: An article in Avenue Magazine praising Newel ads, 1991)
Newel enters the digital world and creates www.newel.com. At this time, Newel was the first antiques dealer to disclose descriptions, images, measurements, and prices on the web.
Forbes names the Newel website “Best of the Web”
Lewis Baer, Meyer’s grandson, purchases the company from his uncle Bruce Newman and is named the new CEO of Newel.
New York State introduces tax credits for productions being produced in NY. As a result, many television shows and movies began filming in NY and Newel became a leading prop source for such productions
Newel sells 425 E 53rd and moves into a 55,000 sq ft. warehouse in Long Island City and opens up a 10,000 sq ft. sales showroom in Manhattan on 306 East 61st.
Jake Baer, Lewis’s son, becomes the new CEO of the Newel company.
Newel Props is officially founded. The birth of Newel Props marks the official separation of the rental business from the selling business.
Newel opens a third location at the 1st Dibs gallery located in the Terminal Stores building at 269 11th Avenue.