Martha Bernabe loves objects. She is always inspired by stuff, she says, and that love has turned into a business with over a million items in it.
Bernabe is the owner of Prop Haus, a prop rental shop in Ridgewood, Queens. She has spent over a decade sourcing, curating and supplying eclectic props to creatives in New York City and beyond. Her shop is a library of things, packed with objects that people rent for photo and film production.
“I love objects. I’m always inspired by stuff,” Bernabe says.
A Career Built on Inspiration
Bernabe’s path to Prop Haus started with her work as a props stylist. Her determined mindset and a tight-knit creative community around her helped her turn her inspiration into a career. Now she owns a shop that rents out a million items, and she still finds joy in the hunt.
Her past work involved styling objects for productions, and she brought that experience to running her own business.
What Prop Haus Offers
Prop Haus is a library of things that people rent for photo and video production, Bernabe explains. Her clients are stylists for photo shoots, advertising, fashion; she gets a lot of food stylists as well; beauty clients.
The shop serves creatives who need the right object to set a scene. The collection runs wide enough that almost anything can be found.
Ava Dunn on the Collection
Ava Dunn is the manager of Prop Haus. She has worked alongside Bernabe, going to estate sales together, to flea markets, and spending days rearranging and inventorying the shop’s vast collection.
“It’s a lovely adventure all the time,” Dunn says.
Dunn’s role involves keeping the collection fresh and relevant. That means constant hunting, sorting and curation.
The Most-Rented Items
When Dunn reflects on some of the business’ most-rented items, she notices a common thread. It is not the rare or expensive pieces that draw attention — it is the ones that show visible humanity.
“Anything that looks super, you know, just human, I think people really gravitate towards,” Dunn says. “It looks like humans have interacted with it, which is why I think people really like it.”
That observation points to a core principle of the shop’s appeal. Renters want objects that feel lived-in, touched, worn. They want evidence of human hands in the frame.
Dunn adds, “It gives me hope that we can keep all that stuff around.”
The Creative Community Around the Shop
Beyond the items, Prop Haus has built a flourishing community of creatives. Bernabe emphasizes the relational side of running a business.
“For me, life is about friends, people and community,” Bernabe says. “We really have that here. It’s kind of like a little village. We have a connection to people that way.”
The shop is not just a commercial operation. It is a place where connections matter as much as the objects themselves.
The Business Model in Ridgewood
Prop Haus operates in Ridgewood, Queens. The shop serves creatives.
The business model is simple: creatives pay to borrow objects for their shoots, then return them. The shop handles sourcing, curation and supply. Bernabe and her team spend their days looking for new items, arranging them in the shop, and helping clients find what they need.
The Hunt Continues
Bernabe’s approach to building the collection is hands-on. She goes to estate sales and flea markets, searching for objects that catch her eye.
The process is ongoing. There is always more to add, more to arrange, more to refresh.
Why the Human Touch Matters
The shop’s success rests on a simple idea: objects that look used are more appealing than objects that look pristine. That is what Dunn sees in the most-rented items.
The appeal is not abstract. It is tangible. People want to see the marks of human hands on the objects they photograph.
Key Facts Box
- Owner: Martha Bernabe
- Location: Prop Haus, Ridgewood, Queens
- Collection size: Over a million items
- Clients: Stylists for photo shoots, advertising, fashion; food stylists; beauty clients
- Past projects: Artisan blankets for a Gucci campaign; aviation ephemera for a major airline’s social media project
- Business model: Rent-to-use for photo and video production
Prop Haus is a remarkable achievement. Bernabe has taken her love of objects and turned it into a million-item collection that serves creatives. She runs it like a little village, not a corporate warehouse.
The shop’s success is not a surprise. It is built on a simple insight: people want objects that look lived-in. They want evidence of human hands in the frame. Bernabe and Dunn have made that their mission, and the collection shows it.
This is a business built on inspiration, creativity and care. It is a place where objects are loved, and where people are valued.
Source material: “This 'library of things' is packed with over a million items used for photo and film,” ABC7 Los Angeles.
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