Tired of never getting a seat on the subway? Now you’re guaranteed one — for a mere $3,000.
Oh, and forget having to wait on a smelly platform to sit down. The seat is most likely to be in your living room, not on a train.
Meet Jeff Mayer, a former BMX pro-biker-turned-artist who’s transformed MTA icons into pricey home furnishings.
“I’ve been collecting MTA signs for about five years,” says Mayer, 40, whose daytime job consists of working as a design executive for Rockstar, the makers of video games such as “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead Redemption.”
He even cajoled an official MTA lantern from track workers.
“I never really knew what I was going to do with them, but I figured I’d find a cool way to display them.”
That day came last year when he and his neighbor and cycling friend, Ralph Hassard (who also happens to be a woodworking artist), founded a company called 718 Made in Brooklyn. They conceptualize pieces like lit box benches constructed of soft Baltic birch that showcase 3-foot used subway signs. The one-of-a-kind pieces, all made from raw materials found on eBay, Craigslist or simply the side of the road, run between $1,800 and $3,000.
“I just want to make enough money so my wife won’t have to work anymore,” says Mayer, whose first baby is due any day now.
After selling several of his signature pieces and garnering a lot of attention at last January’s Bklyn Designs, the borough’s home furnishings showcase sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, it’s clear Mayer and his partner are now on the express track to fame and fortune.