Gonzales prop business set to open

Here’s another spin-off from the local movie business. The Prop Depot, which sells props for movie and theater productions, is set to open Saturday in Gonzales. The business on North Marchand Street will carry everything from period furniture to phone booths, owner Roger Johnson says. Johnson says he got the idea for the business last year when he was working as a graphic designer for the TV movie The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice, which was shot in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. “They were frustrated because they couldn’t find simple props,” Johnson says. “I had worked in community theater for a very long time, handling set design, so I had accumulated a lot of props.” The Prop Depot will also act as a middleman between movie crews and people who have unusual props or property where shooting can take place. The business will have four employees.—Timothy Boone