The store opened more than 100 years ago in one of the arcades along Euclid Avenue downtown. The store changed owners in 1946, when two Vaudeville actors who were friends of Erwin Dawson encouraged him to buy the store.

Not only did Dawson purchase Cleveland Costume and Display, he expanded it. In addition to the general public, the shop designed costumes for Playhouse Square, modeling agencies, major department stores, and hotels. It was one of the major costume houses in Cleveland at the time. In 1998 the business was bought by the current owners. They moved the shop from its downtown location, to its present home at 18489 Pearl Road in Strongsville.

Cleveland Costume is still the place to be with a large selection of costumes from the best venders in the business. We have a well educated staff with our costume design director, Maria Costa, who taught costume design at East Carolina University. Our commitment is still the same as it was years ago, which is to make finding your costume, easy, affordable, and of the best quality available.