Business manager Mara McGill discusses the success and development of The Costume Shop, while customer Jeremy Lang shares his opinions on the quality of the company’s work.
The Costume Shop managed by Riverwalk Theatre welcomed an influx of customers searching for a Halloween costume over the past few days.?
In the 1960s, the Lansing Civic Players Guild bought the building and created the shop. This past summer, Riverwalk Theatre took over managing the shop to help promote the business and build their success.?
“We’re not an equity type place; we rent to theaters and high schools,” said Marge Hetherington, the shop’s costume collection manager. “I’m a volunteer, so I’m doing this strictly as a labor of love, but I find it a lot of fun.”
The shop is a nonprofit and has more than 10 volunteer workers.
For years, The Costume Shop was a partnership with Riverwalk Theatre and Lansing Civic Players. The costume rental made enough money to take control of the theater.
However, those close to the shop are “trying to help make the costume shop stand on its own,” business manager Mara McGill said.
“My dream is to have a consortium of all the theaters in the area and all the schools, and have a lot of people contributing so that we can keep the resource available,” McGill said.
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