Costume Rentals

Startup Costs: $10,000 - $50,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.
Franchises Available? No
Online Operation? Yes

A costume rental business is a fun opportunity, and the additional yearly income it can generate is outstanding. Once the item has paid for itself with five or six rentals, the revenue generated by the rental item from that point on is almost all profit The best way to market a costume rental business is to create a marketing brochure describing the costumes in stock and distribute the marketing brochure and rental rate sheet to organizations within the community, such as sports organizations, community theater groups, charity associations, and colleges and universities. Halloween will be a huge time of year for you, so be sure to ramp up your marketing efforts in September and October. Once established, this type of rental business will easily be supported by word-of-mouth advertising and repeat customers.

The Market

You will have single consumers during Halloween, but a big chunk of your business may be to organizations like schools and theater groups, so you'll want to establish contacts within those organizations quickly.

Needed Equipment

While you could ostensibly run this business from home if you have a loyal following (like local playhouses or schools and colleges), a retail store is a more likely venue. So you'll need a location, store fixtures, a cash register and credit equipment, and a healthy stock of costumes. You may also want to stock items such as theatrical makeup and wigs that people will purchase outright.