Last Stop for Subway Signs at Billy's Antiques on the Bowery

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Image via Billy's Antiques

Every time we stroll past the iconic Billy's Antiques and Props near the Bowery, we ask ourselves, amongst the antique furniture and slightly creepy doll heads, how did they get those subway signs? The self proclaimed "last eclectic antique and prop store on the Bowery" has been run by William "Billy" Leroy since 1986 and has been selling subway signs of questionable origin for over a decade. As of this Saturday, the signs will be a thing of the past. The NYPD busted Billy, hauling him away in handcuffs, as the transit authorities confiscated all the subway signs in the establishment. Billy was let out 8 hours later, after what we imagine as a heated Law & Order style interrogation. Billy claims that the signs were obtained from legit sources, but after the NYPD raid, he will no longer be selling the signs. Another one bites the dust on the Bowery.
· William "Billy" Leroy of Billy's Antiques Arrested [NYC the Blog]
· Billy's Antiques and Props [Official Site]