You’ve seen the plays, now own the costumes.
Guelph Little Theatre is putting what looks like a large quantity of wardrobe items into an upcoming garage sale. But what will be on offer this Saturday at the 176 Morris St. theatre is only a small fraction of its wardrobe inventory. There is a need to clean house and clear space.
The Community Garage Sale and Tailgate Events happens Saturday in the parking lot, and maybe inside the building if the weather is uncooperative, starting at 7 a.m. There are dozens of hats, many funky, colourful and/or vintage dresses, shirts, sweaters, and suits, pairs of shoes, and some props.
Volunteer Judi McCuag was steaming and reshaping hats on Tuesday at the theatre. The lounge area is starting to fill up with items, which will be sold at clear-out prices.
“I’m steaming the hats because they were squished down in boxes,” McCuag said, adding there are many more boxes of hats in storage. “This way, people get to the see them in their full glory. Some of the hats are fabulous.”
There were at least 30 hats on a pair of tables. McCuag said there are three times that many in boxes in the storage area.
She said a break in the theatre’s schedule afforded time for a major sorting and culling of the wardrobe. There hasn’t been a sale of this kind in a few years, and the costumes were starting to take up a lot of space. Hard to replace items are being kept.
Barb Bryce is the props person at Guelph Little Theatre. She said if the sale makes a bit of money for the theatre that will be a bonus. The purpose behind it is to have a “clearing space spree.”
“We are drowning in wardrobe stuff,” she said. “We just have to get rid of as much as we can.”
She said there are many fur and fabric items that would be of interest to crafters and artists in the area.
“We’re hoping we can do it outside, if the weather holds,” Bryce said. “But we have the area in front of the stage and the front of house. We really hope members of the community around here turn up.”
The tailgate aspect of the event gives local vendors an opportunity to rent a small space and offer their wares for sale, McCuag said.
There will be a party atmosphere at Saturday’s event. Face painter Tania Crook will be on hand, and there will be puppetry by Pandora’s Sox.
For more information, or to set up a table, contact [email protected].
