Cyd Hand runs a one-of-a-kind costume rental shop alone, stitching era-accurate flapper dresses and battle armor by hand at 2101 Colby Ave.

Vintage Costumers is a rental-only boutique where nothing is for sale. Hand fabricates most of the period costumes in-house, and every piece comes with handwritten tags describing its era and backstory.

The inventory includes beaded 1920s flapper dresses, antique shoes and decorative suits of armor, as first reported by the Everett Post.

A handful of character costumes (including Dorothy, Glinda, Captain Hook, Captain Jack Sparrow and Zorro) are available, but they are far outnumbered by the historical pieces.

Hand told the Everett Post that the period costumes are fabricated in-house and are "one-of-a-kind." Accessories come included in every rental package.

The shop traces its roots to 1976, when founder Gloria Hoefflin opened a boutique called Vintage Clothing at the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and 65th Street in Seattle. Hoefflin rebranded to Vintage Costumers in the 1980s as murder mystery parties and adult Halloween parties grew popular.

Her longtime boyfriend, Arnold "Arnie" Grossinger, managed renovations and daily operations.

Hand started doing costume repairs for the store in 1996. Three years later, Hoefflin died after a yearlong battle with cancer. Hand and Grossinger kept the business going.

The Seattle location was demolished in 2017 to make way for housing development, pushing the shop north to Colby Avenue. The store draws local filmmakers, theater groups and Halloween seekers, especially during the fall and winter seasons.

Hand and Grossinger married before his death in 2024 at age 79.

According to Hand, Grossinger was still coming into the shop a week before he died. She now runs the operation with help from one part-time employee.

Hand said she "failed miserably" sewing in ninth-grade home economics. She now constructs elaborate outfits adorned with ornate embroidery and embellishments.

Vintage Costumers is open through November: Monday, Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The shop is closed Tuesdays. The address is 2101 Colby Ave., and the phone number is 425-512-0280. An online rental gallery lists categories spanning the 1600s to the present.