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This TikToker Found the Iconic “Friends” Apothecary Table at a Thrift Store

Inigo Del Castillo
Inigo Del Castillo
Inigo is a content writer at Apartment Therapy and previously for Lost At E Minor. A few years ago, he wrote an article about baby bats, which was so cute, Buzzfeed took a screenshot of the headline and cover image, then made a listicle about weird but adorable things. He thought it was so cool. He enjoys books, k-pop, anime, and sports. He is based in the Philippines.
published Jan 20, 2024
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385848 15: Cast Members Of NBC's Comedy Series "Friends." Pictured (L To R): David Schwimmer As Ross Geller, Jennifer Aniston As Rachel Cook, Courteney Cox As Monica Geller, Matthew Perry As Chandler Bing, Lisa Kudrow As Phoebe Buffay And Matt Leblanc As Joey Tribbiani. (Photo By Getty Images)
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In early January, TikTok user Rebecca went to the Goodwill Northside store in Atlanta and found one of the most recognizable pieces of furniture in television history: the Pottery Barn apothecary table from Friends, and it took TikTok by total surprise.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with Friends, in the episode titled “The One with the Apothecary Table” (Season 6, Episode 11), Rachel buys the apothecary table for her apartment, but later learns that Phoebe hates Pottery Barn. To hide that fact, Rachel lies to Phoebe, swearing that the table was actually thrifted. The fib gets even more complicated after everyone learns Ross also bought the same Pottery Barn table. Hilarity ensues as Rachel tries to cover up her lie with more lies.

Now, with Rebecca’s discovery, Rachel could actually say that the apothecary table came from a thrift store. From the video she posted on TikTok, it looks so similar to the Friends model. There’s the dark wood surface, the gold ornamentation, and the tiny cabinets that could probably fit more than 300 CDs. The only thing missing here are Ross’s sheets!

“You found the ultimate treasure!” one commenter wrote.

Others, meanwhile, had plenty of jokes: “Could you smell the Opium? I would be too excited if I’d found this in a thrift store.” “Was it from Colonial Times or Yore?” someone asked, to which another replied: “It’s from White Plains.”

Rebecca shared with her TikTok followers that she ultimately didn’t purchase the apothecary table, so there’s a chance that it could still be available at the Goodwill Northside store in Atlanta.

According to Den Garden, the product placement in “The One with the Apothecary Table” was so well done, that the episode received the Best Product placement award from Entertainment Weekly in 2004. Pottery Barn, meanwhile, celebrated the 25th anniversary of Friends in 2019 with a themed collection that included a Central Perk sofa pillow, a lobster mug, and of course, the apothecary table.

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