Zap Props and Antiques
At first glance, Zap Props and Antiques might seem like nothing more than an enormous, highly disorganized pile of junk, but this three-story, 36,000-square-foot warehouse, tucked away in one of Bridgeport’s more nondescript enclaves, is a ramshackle museum of ephemera. Everything belongs to owner and proprietor Bill Rawski, who rents his wares to local film and theater productions. Most everything in his collection dates somewhere between the 1920s and the ’70s, and the website (much more orderly than the chaotic showroom) lists such varied categories as circus, kitchen and glassware, tiki and tribal, nautical, and taxidermy. To get the full experience, though, you have to visit the warehouse, where the seemingly endless array of kitsch and nostalgia—some of it for sale!—is enough to melt your brain. Make sure you call ahead and book an appointment; Zap is closed to the public, though Rawski and his staff will show you around if you’re in the market for something truly unique.