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A century of hidden treasures found in old storage warehouse in East Rutherford
Thousands of discovered items will be sold in a weekend liquidation sale
ByNina Pineda
Saturday, September 19, 2026 12:52AM
7 On Your Side’s Nina Pineda checks out an old storage space where “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (WABC) –A concert promoter clearing out a long-abandoned storage warehouse in East Rutherford, New Jersey says thousands of items, including artwork, collectibles and memorabilia, have been uncovered ahead of a liquidation sale.
Concert promoter Cliff Witmyer was left all the contents of the Holman Storage Warehouse in East Rutherford three years ago. Now that the building has been sold, he must empty it.
Witmyer and his team began the massive task of opening long-locked storage units, some dating to the turn of the last century. The effort has revealed a wide range of items. Tchotchkes now occupy an entire floor of the building, while another level contains collectibles in original boxes and sports memorabilia.
Door after door also contains artwork, including pieces that families may have carried with them across oceans.
“Most of the valuable paintings that we believe are valuable, and of course we are not experts, are in here,” Witmyer said.
One piece in particular caught his attention.
“The one that really got me was this one. This is an original… supposedly, Gibson painting sketch from Charles Gibson,” Witmyer said.
The sketch is attributed to Charles Dana Gibson, creator of the Gibson Girl illustrations that were widely published in magazines and were considered a standard of beauty. Gibson once lived in Flushing, Queens.
To evaluate the piece, reporters asked Jason Antos, executive director of the Queens Historical Society, to examine it. The borough hosted a Charles Dana Gibson exhibit in 2017.
“It has all the makings of a Gibson illustration, and you could always tell how he signed it. He would always sign his name at the base of the Gibson Girl’s dress, right there. Always within the ruffles at the bottom of the dress,” Antos said.
When asked for his opinion, Antos said, “Looks like the real deal to me.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Witmyer said.
Antos said the sketch could fetch up to $2,000. The artwork is just one of roughly 20,000 pieces being offered during a weekend liquidation sale, where organizers say additional treasures may still be waiting to be discovered.
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