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Harvey's Antiques spawned Harvey's Props, which eventually became 20th Century Props, described by Schwartz as 'the biggest prop house in the world under one roof'.
But no more. Schwartz's inventory of more than 93,000 pieces including foam aliens, vintage furniture and appliances, carousel horses, Roman sculptures and other assorted props from film and TV, is being liquidated.
A slowdown in the economy and Hollywood productions is forcing him to close his doors. He expects his 200,000sq/ft (18,580sq/m) warehouse in North Hollywood to be 'broom clean' by August15.
"It's the end of an era," he said. "I have to just walk away and say goodbye."
Schwartz picked out each item. "I just bought my own taste and went everywhere in the world to purchase it," he said.
Schwartz's antique shop specialised in art-deco furniture. The crew behind Blade Runner bought many of his pieces and rented others. So he became a prop man.
Schwartz said he was able to hang on during the 100-day writers' strike in 2007. But the Screen Actors Guild's prolonged contract negotiations hurt his business. He was still surviving by renting his wares for parties and events. Then the economy tanked.
"That was the last straw," he said. "We're broke. We couldn't hold on any longer so I had to put it up for auction so I could dig up the money to pay the debts."
