CostumeRentals

I am a graduate student who came to Costume Rentals a few weeks ago because I was to be attending a historically accurate costume party this past weekend, and our group had heard great things about it because of its connection with the Guthrie and with the Children’s Theater. Productions that I’ve been part of have even rented props from the Guthrie and it’s been a great experience in the past.
Overall, I had terrific interactions with the staff. They were incredibly helpful and knowledgeable in helping me find exactly what I was looking for. The sad thing is that I was really looking forward to going in costume as a Regency era gentleman. That part of the experience was positive and I wish I could give them more than one star, but what comes next so soured the experience for me that I simply can’t.
I went in on May 2^nd, found exactly what I was looking for, and paid for everything up front: $ 148.60, to be exact, which is a lot of money for a grad student like myself, but because of the costume itself it was definitely going to be worth it.
Unfortunately, this turned out to be a week of hell for me at work, and at school with several large projects wrapping up for the end of the semester. I was supposed to pick up the costume a few days before, but due my work schedule, the fact that I work far out in the western suburbs, how insane my life was last week, and because I also had class that evening, I simply wasn’t able to make it to the warehouse. And I didn’t even remember until Friday afternoon, when it turns out that they’re closed.
I mistakenly assumed that, like most places, they would have regular business hours. It turns out though that they’re only open on the first and third Saturdays of each month, and a few times throughout the week when I would have to basically take a half day off work just to go pick up a costume rental in NE Minneapolis.
So in the end I missed the costume party on Saturday, May 9^th, which completely ruined the entire weekend for me as I’d been looking forward to the event for months. In the end, they did refund me the dry cleaning fee, but will not refund any of the remaining $ 132.43, for a costume I never got to wear or enjoy, to a party that I ended up being unable to attend, so my experience with Costume Rentals ended up being a complete and disappointing fiasco.
Frankly, their business hours are inconvenient for a working adult and student like me, so unless you have the luxury of time, or have a partner or friend who is able to both pick up and drop off the rental within their business hours (which I do not), this is not the place to rent from. For me, I will never be doing business with them again, which is unfortunate because my interactions with the staff were positive. The store hours and rental policies, however, ruined what was supposed to be a memorable and enjoyable experience.

This is not JUST a costume rental shop. These are costumes created for and retired from the Guthrie and children’s Theater plays. They are top notch, beautifully created, professional costumes. You will pay a pretty penny for rental… But if you want to impress then this is the place! Super fun to just go in and take a look around at all the great stuff! Also I think there is a yearly sale where you can purchase costumes that they no longer have room for.