Whitney Houston may have gotten rid of troubled hubby Bobby Brown, but she may be having trouble coming up with enough green to pay her bills. A New Jersey company that stored hundreds of items the pop diva used on her concert tours – including designer-made costumes, sound equipment, musical instruments, furniture and tools – is auctioning off the goods next week because Houston stopped paying the storage bills in 2005. "It’s a warehouse full of stuff from her shows," said Steve Newmark, co-owner of A.J. Willner Auctions, which is conducting the sale Tuesday morning in Irvington, N.J. Among the 400-plus items up for grabs is a custom-made, see-through grand piano that Newmark said was worth between $300,000 to $400,000 when new. A chair described as "Whitney’s Throne" is also up for grabs. Also selling are dozens of flashy costumes and clothing from such designers as Donna Karan, Dolce & Gabbana and Bob Mackie. "The auction is open to the public, but only for qualified buyers," said Newmark. "We’re probably going to combine a lot of the individual items, like the costumes. It’s not for a teenage fan hoping to buy one of [Houston’s] trinkets." Houston’s publicist told the Daily News the auction consists of "old equipment from past tours that she doesn’t need anymore. It’s not unusual for artists to sell off staging and equipment not in use anymore." But Jeffrey Campisi, an attorney for Jersey-based Speed of Sound, confirmed Houston’s company, Nippy Inc., owes an estimated $200,000 to Speed of Sound in unpaid storage. Tuesday’s auction, though, could turn out to be a windfall for Houston. According to Campisi, New Jersey law states that any proceeds exceeding the $200,000 storage debt goes to Houston’s company.
New York Daily News
If you don’t want the stuff anymore then sell it and just don’t leave it there and not pay the bills. I hope he makes the money back.
