The novelty of it all -- for sale
What do you do when your collection of pop culture paraphernalia outgrows its storage space? If you’re Richard Foos and Bob Marin, you bring it out of hiding and offer it for rent or sale. Friday the two pals, partners and pack rats are opening Duck Soup, a shop they’re billing as a “mecca for all things pop culture.”
If you’re looking for a coffee table that doubles as an amp and guitar stand, a set of Beatles bobbleheads or a Rolling Stones pinball machine, Duck Soup’s the place. More than 1,000 novelty furniture items, neon signs, arcade games, jukeboxes, pinballs, vending machines and antique toys will be available.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. Nov. 17, 2004 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday November 17, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 36 words Type of Material: Correction
Duck Soup number -- An item in Thursday’s Calendar Weekend about the Duck Soup pop culture boutique in Westwood gave an incorrect area code with the phone number. The boutique can be reached at (310) 441-8544.
“My stuff was all in storage, so it was useless in that I could never use it,” said Foos, 55, an avid collector for three decades. “I always had this dream it would be in a nice atmosphere.”
That dream is coming true in a space shared with Rhino Records in Westwood, the store Foos founded and Marin manages. As with many record shops, Rhino’s sales have slumped in recent years, so Foos wanted to scale back. Instead, he cut the store in half and turned the remaining space into Duck Soup.
“It’s almost like a coming of age where instead of hoarding, we’re now willing to share it with the world,” Foos said. “We’re hoping other people will get the joy out of it that we got.”
Susan Carpenter
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Duck Soup, 2028 Westwood Blvd., L.A. Open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, (323) 441-8544 or ducksoupobjects.com.