Like the iconic scene that made it famous, bidding for the booth in which the cast of The Sopranos sat for their final episode was abruptly halted, with a winning bid of $82,600.
The eBay listing for Holsten’s booth in Bloomfield, a veritable New Jersey haven where multiple scenes from the legendary HBO drama were filmed, concluded with a win for a bidder whose identity has not been revealed.
The Soprano family, mob boss Tony (James Gandolfini), Carmela (Edie Falco), AJ (Robert Iler) and Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), eat at the restaurant as the famous series finale plays out to the tune from ‘Don’ by Journey. Do not stop believing.’
It’s an absolute score for Holsten’s, whose co-owner expected to receive $10,000 to help cover the estimated $60,000 it would cost to replace the stand, according to the New York Times.
The ice cream parlor announced the auction on its official Instagram page last week, informing customers that “the time has come” to part ways with the table and seating.
Like the iconic scene that made it famous, bidding for the booth in which the cast of The Sopranos sat for their final episode was abruptly halted, with a winning bid of $82,600.
The Soprano family, mob boss Tony (James Gandolfini), Carmela (Edie Falco), AJ (Robert Iler) and Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), eat at the restaurant as the famous series finale plays out to the tune from ‘Don’ by Journey. You don’t stop believing
“It’s time to do it,” Carley said. “It’s not something we take lightly.”
He said the new booth will hopefully look similar to the old one.
“We want to get back exactly what we took out,” he added. “When people walk into the store, they’ll have a hard time telling the difference.”
Holsten’s made it clear that this was a necessary improvement in a description on eBay, where the booth received more than 230 bids.
“All good things sometimes need an upgrade,” Holsten wrote in a caption, along with a couple of photos of the booth as it looks today and a picture of Gandolfini smiling while sitting in the booth.
‘The famous (Sopranos) stand is getting a much-needed facelift. Starting today we will auction the beloved stand on eBay,” reads Wednesday’s post.
‘Place your bid on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to personally own ‘the booth.’ Check out our listing here. Obviously we are not going to change the nostalgia of our beloved store… we are not crazy! I’m just polishing the place up!
The social media post announcing the auction also included a note from Holsten’s owners explaining that they “do not want to do this,” but that ultimately, “the integrity of the stands is now compromised.”
It’s an absolute score for Holsten’s, whose co-owner was hoping for $10,000 to help cover the estimated $60,000 it would cost to replace the stand.
The owners of Holsten’s in Bloomfield, New Jersey, announced that ‘the time has come’ to get rid of the famous Sopranos booth because the restaurant and ice cream shop needs a ‘facelift’ due to deteriorating furniture.
The final scene, which included Gandolfini, was full of drama and tension as the New Jersey crime boss made his way to Holsten’s and sat in the booth.
“They have been repaired many times and this furniture is over 60 years old,” the owners continued. ‘Obviously we don’t want to do this, however we have reached a point where structurally they are no longer safe as a whole and we must think about the safety of our customers first.
They concluded with the headline: “Customer safety is a priority for us and should be for our customers too.”
On Saturday night, the owners of Holsten returned to their Instagram page to remind customers and fans that this is the last weekend they can come take a photo sitting at the booth.
“Last chance to get your photos is this weekend,” the caption reads along with another image of Gandolfini sitting at the booth and two other customer photos. ‘We close at 10 at night and open from 12 to 10 on Sunday. Low!’
The final scene was full of drama and tension as the New Jersey crime boss walked up to Holsten’s and sat in the booth.
While waiting for Carmela and her two children to arrive, the show’s writers and producers made it seem like Tony and his family could be hit at any moment.
One by one, several people enter the restaurant, and some of the potential customers look increasingly suspicious who could pull out a gun at any moment.
On Saturday night, Holsten’s owners returned to their Instagram page to remind customers and fans that the stand would soon cease to exist.
Holsten’s customers have taken photos at the booth since the Sopranos finale aired on June 10, 2007.
Fans can take photos at the booth throughout the weekend.
The Sopranos, which aired on HBO for six seasons between 1999 and 2007, is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential television series of all time.
The Sopranos are also credited with helping kickstart the Second Golden Age of Television.
While this was happening, Meadow was outside trying to parallel park her car across the street from Holsten’s, which took her at least three tries to finally get between two other cars.
Just as Meadow was about to enter the restaurant and ice cream parlor, the screen fades to black, leaving viewers wondering if the Sopranos were attacked or if they were able to eat in peace.
The Sopranos, which aired on HBO for six seasons from 1999 to 2007, is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential television series of all time.
He is also credited with helping usher in the Second Golden Age of Television.