New Location for Cross Community Players’ Costume Center
Every good show deserves a good costume, and for many local theater companies, one of their first stops is the Cross Community Players’ Costume Center in Osseo.
“We have just a big variety of what people might be looking for down here,” said Lori Schwartz, the costume shop manager.
This vast collection includes thousands of costumes and props from every era, for every age group, and almost every size. Essentially, it’s everything that a community theater company or school might need to make their performance come to life.
“Probably 75 percent of our items are used clothing, regular street clothing, that has been available since the 1920s, probably, is where our collection starts,” Schwartz said.
Some items come from garage sales, others come from theater companies that no longer exist.
All are available to rent at an affordable price.
“I usually tell people our prices are lower than what it would be to purchase them at a thrift store, if you could even find these costumes at a thrift store,” said Schwartz.
Lori Schwartz shows off the various styles of ‘Dorothy’ dresses from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at the Cross Community Players Costume Center.
It’s no wonder why they have schools from as far away as Bemidji and Iowa who have borrowed from this collection.
“The word has gotten out, and we have a lot of fun with people coming in here and seeing what they can find,” Schwartz said.
Word may have gotten out, but Schwartz wants people to know about the costume shop’s new location. They moved into the basement of a building located at 229 1st Ave NE in Osseo in February of 2024. Previously, they were located in a building near Osseo’s Yellow Tree Theatre.
Now, they have a bigger space for their treasure trove of resources.
“Hopefully it’s a place that we can help community theater create their visions and their dreams on stage,” Schwartz said.
The Cross Community Players’ Costume Center is open on Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. Visits on days other than Wednesday should be scheduled. If you have questions or would like to schedule a visit, email costumes@crossplayers.org
Related: Cross Community Players Presents “Hello, Dolly!”
