Lost Eras

If you are lucky enough to never walk in here, consider yourself blessed. The majority of items can be also found at goodwill, the brown elephant, and etsy, and without a money hungry woman who bait and switches about what she charges for everything, to include rentals. There is a special place in hell for people like the owner of this place. She’s real hungry to sue as well. I can honestly say that renting from the Grinch would be more successful and less stressful. Steer clear artists especially, unless you don’t mind being screwed over hard.

I got a great costume from here: a seventies outfit for an office party. It looks authentic, and they have plenty of choices in costumes, from almost any decade. Plus the staff was very helpful in deciding on the right look. I’ll definitely be back.

Fantastic place to find all sorts of strange costumes and unique antiques.

Take you back in time. if you like unique and strange things. this is the place.
Really nice it’s a different world once you come and visit shopping is amazing!

I have lived in the area for years on years, but I have never stopped in. I was talking a walk once with a friend, and we wanted to stop in. And wow, this place is truly a hidden gem. You could spend hours on hours in this store looking at costumes and antique items. My favorite is the jewelry. One of the managers told me that a lot of it is old because they get it from estate sales. Even I can tell by the quality and design that they are a bit older. My friend got a beautiful, layered pearl necklace. I got one of those 90s beaded bracelets and necklaces. The jewelry itself has a great variety. Not cheap– but it is quality. I will definetely be returning once I save up a bit more.
Go with a friend and just explore :) We were there for about an our and still did not see the entire place. There is a basement FYI.
Cannot wait to go back soon.

A fan of used clothing stores, costumes, and cool junk, this is one of my favorite hidden treasures. Hidden, because it is on a part of Howard Street you may not normally stroll along when out window shopping. I’ve been ducking in for years around Halloween to construct my costume, picking and choosing from racks and racks of old and odd clothes in the basement, or to wander the impressive selection of costumes for rent – animals, medieval, sports, you name it, they probably have it. Looking for theater props? Loads of vintage items in the basement.
I also purchased a red wood, claw foot dresser from the used/​antique furniture side in 2005, which is still in my bedroom.
Lots of awesome and weird stuff. If anyone lived in Andersonville when it was cool and remembers George’s Junk Shop. .. like that, but with costumes.

This place is amazing!!! Such a hidden gem. Could be there for hours!
The basement was filled with old nic nacs.
Organized for the most part!

There is no other place in Chicago that has this kind of assortment of odds and ends. It is paradise for the conceptual photographer looking for a prop or if you need a halloween costume of ANY KIND.
They are really nice. Granted, some items can be overpriced, and parts of the store a little musky (what antique store isn’t?) but this is all cancelled out by the fact that they have saved me more than a few times when I needed something very specific.

I went there for Tea Cups and walked out with a lot than just a couple tea cups. They have just about anything you could think of!

By Far the BEST place in Chicago for a DIY Halloween Costume. Large store and basement with everything from astronaut to scuba diver gear available. Almost any piece of clothing is available for renting so you don’t get stuck with something you will only wear once forever.

I love this place! They have unusual items that they don’t have at any of the other costume shops in Chicago. One of the reasons for this is that it is also a vintage shop, and the owner sometimes provides costumes for television and movies. She also goes to estate sales and buys up some unique items. There is really quite a bit of stock. The basement is full of stuff too, but you have to duck your head in some places or you will receive a big bump. I could spend hours sifting through items if I had the time.
The only thing I would change is that there are hardly any prices on anything, but sometimes that can work to your advantage, if the owner is feeling kindly towards you. You have to be willing to try and negotiate on prices. It is also in kind of a questionable area, but I am rating the shop itself and the staff.

I have never been inside Lost Eras until today and when I went inside it looked so disorganized and stuff was just left everywhere. But I guess that’s what you expect when you go into a store that’s in a semi-​bad neighborhood. there were 3 pairs of shoes i wanted to get which were $ 3 each and i told the lady I only had $ 5 and she was like, «oh». I really wanted the other shoes…
P.S: Also, will someone please tell the store owner not to leave furniture (for sale) outside the store? Especially by the bus stop. So annoying.

I’ve been going to Lost Eras for the past four years with my two teenagers for their costumes and other goods that one can find with available time in the store. My favorite is everything found in the“Basement” we did not see any ghosts yet my daughter who is very intuitive did sense the vibe of the building. I highly recommend telling your friends Lost Eras is for me a great real Chicago type of place in a great part of the city.
The Pabs

Lost Eras must have lost their minds.
I should have known better when I bought a wig that was clearly marked $ 16.99 on the mannequin and the price was instantly marked up to $ 20 at the register. We protested the instant mark up but their explanation was «oh. yea. that price is wrong»
When we returned our costumes, which were stained and definitely not the cleanest when we borrowed them, they charged us an extra $ 5 cleaning fee for each item. Are you kidding? We are talking about dingy, used clothes here. The stains were definitely there before we rented them and we had no way to argue against their «photographic» memory. Even if they weren’t, who cares the clothes are so dirty how could anyone tell. And shouldn’t they be washing the clothes every time someone rents anyway? shady.
Save your money and go to Goodwill where you can buy vinage clothing and actually keep them. $ 20 is way too much to rent clothes and then be charged a $ 5 fee on top of that.

Their selection is outstanding — you could easily spend a day here and not see everything.
Sadly, the service leaves something to be desired. They make up prices on the fly, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason or consistency in their policies. I hate feeling like I’ve been ripped off every time I’ve shopped here. Much of their costuming & «vintage» pieces are of dubious quality for what they charge.
Still, this is the place that may have that one elusive item no other store has. In my book it’s one of those necessary evils — I really love just killing time here wandering around every room with no idea what I’ll find on the next shelf or around the next corner. Too bad I dread going to the register.

I seriously could get lost in here for days… or eras I suppose. They ended up selling the cabinet that I wanted but that’s what I get for waiting to see if it will go down or not.
One recommendation is to swing by the basement… it is creepy especially when they have the guy down there doing repairs (I can’t help but think of every horror movie ever created especially house of a thousand corpses, if you’ve seen the movie you know what I’m talking about) and head down there with at least one friend… preferably a big strong guy (points if he’s cute)

After exploring more antique stores in Chicago over the last 2 years (and becoming slowly more well-​rounded on antiques), it really has dawned on me how junky this store really is, especially the basement. Although you can still find some decent things here, and this is definitely still better clothing-​wise if you’re looking for vintage/​Halloween/​etc. clothing, than either Edgewater Antique Mall, or Broadway Antique Market.
If I could give it 3.5, I would. The pricing here isn’t inconsistent like at Edgewater Antique Mall, or BAM, and the staff at least has remained decent over the years. I’d ideally put this at 4 stars, if the basement was ever cleaned up. And I don’t even have a problem with their low basement ceiling, either!

Very well-​kept secret. After eating an Italian beef at RPP (Roger’s Park Pizzeria), walk on over to search for some giant easter bunny heads, wedding dresses, viking costumes, and FANCY HATS.
I scored a cashmere and fox fur sweater here, in PERFECT condition, for $ 65. It’s so luscious and sexy. Mmmm.

«I want to go to there»
one of my good friends lives in chicago, and you know, i love her and all, but i am plotting a return visit *cover your ears cheryl* just to go to this fantastic vintage store. I scored a 1950’s Oscar de la Renta dress for 50 bucks! INSANE. I cannot wait to return to chicago and spend some quality time at Lost Eras… i mean, catching up with old friends.

Eleven months out of the year, this is a dumpy junk shop. I walk past here sometimes on my way to the Howard CTA station, and I almost never see anyone inside.
However, during October, it becomes a treasure trove of costumes, props, and accessories. Selection dries up pretty severely as Halloween approaches, so shop early and take advantage of their «reserve» policy to hold your costume until the needed time.
In 2005, I completed a classy modern-​day Satan costume with a red-​satin-​lined cloak which was surprisingly high-​quality and less filthy than it could have been (this passes for a compliment). Halloween 2006 was brilliant thanks in large part to a last-​minute costume that I cobbled together at Lost Eras – a Highland warrior with kilt, sash, boots, sword, etc. Apparently many, many women want to ask what is under a man’s kilt. This can lead to lots of interesting coversations (and more!).
I had to return that costume a day late thanks to work committments, but the girl working the counter (not the owner, who is a notorious stickler) didn’t charge me a late fee.