The sale of the former casino’s contents is taking place before the building is gutted and replaced by a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The sale is being held between floors 46 and 50, with furniture and other items available for purchase.
"Why would I go to Walmart and spend $400 on a TV when I can get one here for cheap," Gerald Winchester, the first person in line, told the Press of Atlantic City.
The Taj Mahal opened in 1990 and closed in October 2016. It was the fifth casino to close in Atlantic City since 2014, Philly.com reported. It was owned by billionaire Carl Icahn, who had taken possession of the casino out of bankruptcy court. President Donald Trump has not been materially involved for about seven years, other than allowing his name to be attached to the casino.
Long lines of people waited to buy items such as lamps ($12), chairs ($38), mirrors ($20), television sets ($50), paintings and marble trash cans, Philly.com reported.
Hard Rock International bought the casino for a reported $50 million earlier this year, Philly.com reported.
Don Hayes, president of National Content Liquidators, said other floors will be opened to shoppers once floors 46 to 50 are cleared out. Hayes, whose company is overseeing the sale of the items, said he expects the sale to last the entire 60 days.
“It’s pretty busy,” Hayes told Philly.com. “And we’re just now getting started.”
Items on the main floor also were for sale--everything except items bearing the name “Trump” on it. A National Content spokesman told Philly.com that all of the items with the president’s name on it had been removed.
Kim Fantazzia was one of the first people to enter the casino and bought two 5-foot ornamental urns for $240 apiece.
“These are going to look perfect next to my fireplace,” Fantazzia told the Press of Atlantic City. “I just saw them and knew that I had to have (them).”
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