One city over from me in Columbus Ga is a costume shop called CREATIVELY YOURS. The lady wants to sell the shop and all it's contents. She makes costumes for the local theatre "Springer Opera House' She also does work for local schools. She is getting burned out. She also rents her costumes out which appears to be the majority of here business. This might be a ground floor entry business for someone trying to get into business for themselves. If anyone is interested e-mail me at lordladymopak@msn.com and I will give you her phone number and you can discuss the particulars with her.
10 years ago, the Costume shop where I worked for over 5 years and help start back in the late 80's, I wanted to buy it. But my friend who owned it, wanted way too much money for it. Most of the custom made costumes for rent, I designed and made. It was hard to walk away from that and go off onto my own.
10 years later, I am glad I broke out on my own. I am my own boss. I take care of my clients wherever they happen to live in this country. I am not tied down to a building or a set schedule, but one that is flexible and equitable all around. My friend, she is 74 and is getting burned out. She will be lucky to get 30 cents on the dollar for her vast inventory, fixtures, etc. Her last several years have not been good ones for her. When she had me, business was booming. I left her employ because her treatment of me and my ideas to market and streamline was met with fierce opposition.
I wish your friend, Blakduke, luck in selling her Business.
We had a costume/ prop store here that was much like Blakduke's description.
It was not the lack of business that drove them out, it was the overhead. When business was good it was very good, but when it was bad, it was nonexistent. Even though the shop was run and staffed by family, the office rental and store front cost too much to justify having year round. They lasted 20 years, but finally closed.
This tends to be a seasonal business unless you can get decent (and reliable) theater custom. The only way to really make a go of something like this, is if you own the building, work out of your home, or make it so that you rent a portion of someone else's shop.
This is why the majority of this business is conducted online.
Is she selling off the costumes? My group is looking for quite a few ren pieces!
At this time it is my understanding it is an all or nothing deal. No piecemealing.