Before Hollywood writers walked off the job in early May, Pam Elyea's prop house History for Hire filled an average of 53 requests per week for everything from period-appropriate cameras and luggage to camping gear and snow globes.
Weekly orders this year now average 26 as the strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) halted many film and TV productions, Elyea said. She estimates the revenue of the company, which she runs with her husband, has dropped 60% and it is falling $100,000 short of meeting monthly expenses.
"Even though there is a strike going on, it doesn't stop my staff's rent. It certainly doesn't stop my rent. It doesn't stop our utilities," Elyea said, adding "things are just so much more expensive since the pandemic."