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Lost Eras
Rating Details »
Categories: Antiques, Costumes
Neighborhood: Rogers Park1511 W Howard St
(between Bosworth Ave & Callan Ave)
Chicago, IL 60626
(773) 764-7400
Early Bird St. Patrick Day rentals
Ah, The luck of the Irish..order your party costume or Leprechaun clothes here before 3-01 and receive $10.00 off rentals,have fun & party!
Announced 9 hours ago
1 of 12
- Nearest Transit:
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Howard (Purple, Red, Yellow, Evanston Express)
- Hours:
Mon-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Price Range:
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$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
14 reviews for Lost Eras
This business is a Yelp Sponsor
2/19/2009
Updated - 1/21/2010
Updated - 8/13/2009
8/12/2008
11/6/2008
8/15/2008
12/19/2008
11/6/2007
5/14/2008
3/9/2009
10/6/2008
7/28/2007
3/2/2008
10/12/2008
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
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 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)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/24/2009
I found this place yesterday and I am in loooove. The staff is super friendly and not pushy at all.… Read more »
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!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/22/2007
Very great antique, and halloween costume store. The costumes here definately are more of a live… Read more »
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.
Man, the only time I DON'T go in there is on Halloween. The best reason to shop at secondhand stores is to feel like you've found lost treasure, something no one else in the world knows exists. Around Halloween, it's messy, crowded, and with one register, it's no fun. Plus, the owners are VERY comfortable with haggling, but around Halloween, it's just too crazy.
The first floor is an overwhelming array of furniture, costume jewelry, houseware and costumes. For the most part, skip that stuff, unless you are really dying for a vintage armoire. The store has been in the family for something like 50 years, and they really don't know what's there.
The secret to this place is...
The basement. I'm not even going to talk about it. But the basement is the best undiscovered thrift store in Chicago. Don't go alone; it is incredibly creepy, but come to Rogers Park JUST to check out the weirdest fucking basement you have ever seen.
And don't be a sissy--haggle.
This place is total bad ass! Check out the basement! (if you don't get too scared) You can dig for days.
Costumes are great and Charlotte the owner is very helpful. I go there and rent a lot of things for our photoshoots and she has always been very helpful.
Some things are a bit pricey but they price isn't set in stone.Just ask the staff.
oxooxox
"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.
I have been going to lost eras for a couple of years and there is something very right yet wrong about this place. Maybe it's that fact that I've had sex in their filthy, dusty basement.
I've never really found much on the top level, and never really much in the basement but they still have tons of cool stuff. So much cool clothes yet nothing fits me. I once found a stash of about 15 old monkey jackets, I was so excited when I found 3 in my size and even less excited when they disintegrated on my pathetic frame.
An abundance of neat old electronics that don't work despite the owners claim + price tag. I once spent hours upon hours going through the records looking for northern gems. I went home soul-less but I did find a sweet copy of "one bad apple" . Bringing the records to
the counter inquiring a price left me with a "let's see what you got...". Last I checked they were running an antique shop, not a record store.
The only thing I have ever purchases from here was a rad record box and a pair for asian impersonation gag glasses (ala Devo).
Still a cute shop that gives you feeling that your digging through your grandmas basement. Or someones grandma because mine didn't like that kind of shit...
I never seem to wake up in the morning and say "I'm going to go to Lost Eras," but sometimes, on Saturday afternoons I sorta just end up there.
The place is crammed to the gills with antiques, costumes and old shit that you'll never use, but want none the less.
Last time I was there, they had a CD rack full of 90's alternative rock.
Be sure to head down to the basement. If you can, be sure to be on some heavy psychedelics, because the floors and ceilings are uneven and I'm sure that would be sorta trippy. Speaking of ceilings, if you're tall, watch your head down there.
Basically, everything is over priced, but don't be afraid to haggle. They will work with you. Especially if you actually know how to haggle. I've never paid asking price there.
An added bonus is that if you're there on a Saturday afternoon, sometimes you'll hear a stoner rock band practice upstairs.
Ugh. I really don't like this place. It's always the go-to place for Halloween costumes, and rightfully so, as it is enormous and stacked with seemingly endless costume possibilities. However, because it's so stacked it is really hard to get around. You always need help getting what you need, either because you can't find it or you can't reach it, and there's usually 2, maybe 3 people working.
Also, they have SO MUCH STUFF, but I feel like the buyers don't know how to filter through the good and the bad -- so much stuff is just junk. And it's junk that's dirty and not in good shape.
The basement is the scariest. My roommate was in search of some specific item that I can't recall anymore, and as she was looking for it I wandered around and stumbled upon some shoes (my favorite!). As I was looking, I found one interesting, super old pair, but when I picked them up to inspect, I saw they were moldy because of the gross leaky conditions of the basement, which further goes to shoe that the workers don't check up on their merchandise. Once I saw that I hightailed it out of there.
Also, I had some issues with their service policies. I think a lot of their stuff is overpriced, but the upside is they offer the option to rent, which is really convenient considering most of their stuff people only want for a limited time anyway. I was in need of a gorilla costume for a show I was working on, and they had a bunch, so I picked one up and rented it for $80. They have a policy that you cannot get any money back when you rent an item. When I showed the director of the show the suit, she said "no we only need the mask". Because I had a limited budget, I wanted to see if I could find an exception in that policy. No way. Even though it had been less than 24 hours since I had rented the suit, I couldn't get any money back. I still gave the suit part back and kept the mask, so essentially I rented the mask for $80. I understand that policies should be upheld, but I truly don't understand why they could not have made this exception. It would have benefited them in the long run because I would have continued to give them my business and given them a higher rating on Yelp.
Great place for Halloween shopping!! They have tons of costumes and decorations. It's a little far north but totally worth the trip!!
Lost eras is a funky, eclectic place where you can find a little bit of everything - costumes, antiques, rings, masks - very cool. If you need a unique costume for Halloween, this is the place (but make sure you call ahead - they run out of the most popular costumes quickly).
To me, this store represents the tough, diverse nature of my hood - the reason why east RP won't be taken over by hipsters and bobos looking for that "urban feel".
"Lost Eras" is a combination of a costume shop, a thrift store, and an antiques shop. The store is pretty disorganized, but if you've got a good amount of time, browsing it will be delightful.
The first floor has some organization, with furniture and various knick knacks spread around at the front with jewelry. Most Halloween/theater costumes are further back on the first floor. There is a pretty good selection of the usual...flappers, pirates, princesses, etc. My first time here, I found a few 80s dresses and ended up buying one for a party. The basement has more general, vintage clothes along with all sorts of weird junk - old, creepy-looking dolls, rusty machines, a unicycle, old travel trunks and suitcases, etc. In my second time here, I found an awesome 70s dress in the basement while my friend got matching 70s-themed plaid pants and a tie. I also found a vintage coat that I would totally wear on a regular basis, and I plan on going back to buy it later. It's easily a coat that I would probably otherwise buy at some hip, vintage Web site for $50 and up, but it is probably super cheap at "Lost Eras."
I say "probably" because pricing is one of the downsides to this store. A lot of the items do not have price tags, and it seems that the only person qualified to price them is the woman who owns "Lost Eras." When, for example, I tried buying items from a young man behind the counter during my second trip here, I was told that I'd have to wait for the owner to come back. Maybe that usually doesn't happen, but it was still slightly inconvenient.
Also, since the store is disorganized, you can end up spending hours browsing the items while being distracted by everything else. Sure, i came in looking for 70s clothing, but wait...are those swords over there? On my second trip, my friend was mesmerized by the collection of bunny suits in the basement. (By the way, if you're interested, you can rent those bunny suits on a daily rate.) And it took me a long time to find my 70s gear; the clothing racks in the basement are tough to sort through.
Still, overall, this store rocks compared to the other thrift/costume shops I've been to in Chicago. I've always found "Ragstock" to be just alright, and I actually went to "Brown Elephant" on Clark right after my second trip to "Lost Eras." For all the hype that I've heard about "Brown Elephant," I was just not very impressed after spending almost two hours at "Lost Eras." "Brown Elephant" seems to sell mostly just regular, just resold old GAP clothes. Boring.
Finding a parking meter around "Lost Eras" seems pretty easy. They also buy costumes. Go give this store some love.
So much fun and not just for Halloween. I mosied past on my way somewhere else I love brick a brack but didnt tease myself by goiong in because I knew in that area the proces would be out of my league. Well on my return trip I couldnt help but ti stop in pretend like I could affors to shop there I help my head high and walked in like I had a million bucks so many sculptures and jewelry and stuff I could buy. I crossed my fingers and hoped I could treat myself to the brass disk link chain I had in my hand. When I got to the counter the sweet lady said "is that all for you" "yes" I replied with the five dollars in my hand(they only take cash) hoping she didnt say it was more than that. "How about a couple bucks" "oh please take the whole five" " oh dont worry about it you'll need your change"...I put my necklace on even thought it didnt match my out fit thinkng about the perfect earrings I had at home to match it...and sure enough I needed my change when I passed my car I noticed my meter had expired and I wasnt done shopping...
