Library gearing up for annual costume exchange

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Municipal Library is once again hosting its annual costume exchange, creating a space for folks of all ages to potentially find a new costume for Halloween. 

“The costume exchange is coming back; it will look pretty much the same as it always has. It began (Sept. 25), patrons can bring in their used costumes, exchange a costume for a costume ticket, or a costume accessory for a costume accessory ticket,” said Laura Henderson, assistant director of library services. “They bring those tickets back the day of the event which is Oct. 7, here in the library in the program room, and they can use those tickets to exchange for a new costume.”

Alternatively, if a patron does not have a costume to exchange but still wants to participate, they can do so with a donation to the library. 

The costume exchange was launched at the library originally in approximately 2016, then was put on hiatus during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was finally brought back to the library in 2022. 

 “We brought it back because people just kept asking about it. It is a very popular program – it is such a great way for parents and their kids, who grow out of their costumes so quickly, they can come in and exchange their old one for a new one without having to go out and spend a whole lot,” said Henderson. “We do get costumes for all ages but because kids’ sizes are grown out of, we tend to see those coming and going. We do get a lot of requests for adult costumes and we do not have nearly as many of those typically as the demand is.”

Approximately 75 per cent of the costumes which pass through the exchange are sized for infants through young adolescents. 

Henderson explained the library does not have strict expectations regarding the state or condition of the costumes brought in for exchange, aside from that they be clean. 

Costumes that come in damaged are set aside on a designated table for any who may be interested in doing some repairs or salvage work to make something new.

“Usually, I just tell people to take them and there are a lot of crafty people who often want those pieces of things as well so they can adapt it into their own costumes,” said Henderson. “We do not really need a lot of rules, it kind of runs itself in either you like something, or you do not.”

Costumes are in storage at the library until Oct. 7, at which point tables are set up and costumes laid out in the program room. 

Tables will be organized as best by size as possible, and the public can come choose their costumes from there.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., though Henderson is confident there will be enough of a selection that folks will not have to feel rushed to get in the doors. 

“It is so exciting because you can kind of see a different variety of things than you would see in any one given store. The downside is that we do not have different sizes of different items and we cannot inventory, so we do not even necessarily know what we have.”