A Brief History of the SCT Costume Shop
One could say that the fate of SCT’s Costume Shop rested in the hands of former Spencer resident Lois Peters in the mid-1970’s. Not only did she rescue and salvage many costumes from a leaky semi-trailer, but she also opened up her basement and turned it into what we now know as SCT’s Costume Shop. Soon after, the Squire Shoppe donated several tuxedos, incre
asing the volume of costumes available. Peters, with the help of Sheila Currans, Viv Keniger, Pam White, and Arla Muller started renting out costumes from Lois’ basement. All at once, the dream to expand was beginning to take form. In 1979, for a mere pittance, the ladies purchased the entire stock of fabrics and notions from Neisner’s Department Store located at Gateway North Mall. Soon Ms. Peter’s basement because too small and the Costume Shop was relocated to three rooms above Tom and Mabry Cornwall’s Law Offices on Grand Avenue. In 1980 the Costume Shop and its need for space was growing by leaps and bounds, and so it was moved to five rooms above Carey’s TV & Stereo on Grand Avenue. But as time went by, that space seemed to shrink due to donations of clothing and the building of new costumes. After Spencer Community Theatre’s purchase of the Spencer Grocer Building in 1982, the costume Shop finally had a permanent home – on the second floor of the Spencer Community Theatre. In 1984 the ladies started renting costumes not only to community theatres and schools, but also to individuals for Halloween and party needs. It was at this time they accepted orders for custom-made costumes. Over the next years, SCT’s costume rental business grew by leaps and bounds, becoming a major source of revenue for Spencer Community Theatre and enabling SCT to operate its new facility. Now SCT’s Costume Shop boasts over 25,000 costumes and many theatrical properties available to community theatres, high schools, colleges, professional theatres, and the public
Today, the Costume Shop costumes not only theatres and the public in northwest Iowa but also theatrical productions across the state of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and as far away as Florida. It has costumed renaissance weddings and festivals, parades, a movie trailer, business and community promotions, three-month runs of Showboat and The Music Man and theme parties, to name a few. Costume Shop staff members are available for workshops, programs, and tours. Hat-making workshops, period style shows, and workshops showing how to recycle clothes into costumes have been given to many area groups, students, and organizations throughout northwest Iowa. Costuming workshops have also been presented at annual state meetings of the Iowa High School Speech Association and the Iowa Community Theatre Association. Costume Shop revenues have contributed greatly to keeping Spencer Community Theatre a major arts institution in the Spencer area. We salute Lois, Sheila, and Viv for developing the Costume Shop into a viable part of Spencer Community Theatre and thank the many volunteers and staff members who have continued to make it successful. Our current Costume Shop manager, Marta Johnson, has been with SCT for more than a decade and has revitalized the shop space with clever organization and fanciful vintage displays. In 2023, the Costume Shop received a generous donation in memory of Lois and Don Peters from their surviving children Lisa, Molly, and Jeny.
