The event I'm about to describe will take place in Oak Park next week, but there's no reason others shouldn't do this in their own neighborhoods among friends and neighbors.
O Joy! Kids Consignment, one of my favorite stores in my village, is holding a costume swap Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. Bring a costume, get a costume. You can actually bring as many as you want. The only bummer is that you cannot bring homemade costumes -- nearly all the outfits we have stored away from previous years were beautifully handmade by my husband's mother.
According to the email I received:
7:00: We start! Participants sign in and present costume(s) to O Joy! Feel free to bring more than one - the more costumes, the better
7:00-7:30: O Joy! assigns a point value from 1-3, based on brand and condition and then organizes all the costumes on the racks according to point value.
7:30-8:00: Participants are invited to shop the racks, using points they've earned from their costumes.
-Shoppers will be organized in groups of 5-10 participants, based on the order in which each person signed in. COME EARLY for best selection.
At the end of the swap, costumes that don't "sell" can either be donated (we partner with Sarah's Inn, West Suburban Pads, and Hephzibah), or consigned for sale in the store. There will be as many costumes as there are participants, or more, but we cannot guarantee you'll find the costume you want. Once you give your costume to the exchange, you acknowledge that you may not get anything back, depending on whether or not you have a specific costume requirement. Remember, you can always shop for your friends, family and neighbors. This is all in the name of good fun and community spirit!
The store is at :
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823 S. Oak Park Ave
708383.3437