SCRANTON — The new operators of Taney’s Costume Shop plan to preserve the past while looking to the future as the store prepares to celebrate 100 years in business.
Ashley Nole — who grew up in Dunmore before relocating to Lancaster — recognized the importance of keeping the historic shop open upon returning to the area.
“When we saw the post that they were closing, we were absolutely devastated,” Nole said. “Taney’s has been a staple in the community for 100 years, so we wanted to be able to save it. We used to come here all the time to get our costumes. I feel like everyone has a story of coming here when they were kids. We definitely want to keep the reputation of what it was, what we sell, but we want to bring it up to date. We’re looking at getting a website up and running so people can rent costumes or order balloons online.”
The new owners intend to make a big push to educate people, near and far, about the unique offerings available at Taney’s.
“We’d like to have a big social media presence and just get our name out there,” Nole said. “It’s not just for Scranton, it’s for all over. I had a customer, the other day, drive an hour just to come pick up a costume.”
Nole, along with Spencer Shotto and Allison Engle, strive to carry on the tradition started by the original owner, Pierce L. Taney, a farmer and amateur magician from Wapwallopen, who opened the store in 1926 at 648 N. Washington Ave. to supply costumes and makeup for shows in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.
While the sale has not been finalized, Nole said it’s nearing the final stretch. The shop is open Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The papers need to be signed, but everything else is in place,” Nole said.
Shotto, the assistant technical director for performing arts at Wilkes University, noted the inventory needs to be updated to meet current demand.
“It’s been stated that there are more than 10,000 costumes here,” he said. “Obviously, some of them are older and need to be retired. We’re bringing in more modern items, things the public is looking for these days, and branching out into the world of cosplay and Renaissance fairs, kind of tackling markets that haven’t really been explored by Taney’s in the past.”
Shotto, who attended Scranton Prep, recalls many trips to Taney’s and looks forward to being part of the renowned business.
“I can’t tell you how many times I came to Taney’s to get fitted, and how many costumes I wore on stage,” he said. “My mom used to make dresses and she would come in here and say, ‘I made that one, or I wore that one in high school.’ The history here kind of speaks for itself. The quality of the costumes, the quality of the accessories and the quality of the stage makeup sold here sets Taney’s apart.”
Engle has been working to prepare costumes for customers the last couple of weeks, and Paige Balitski, a 20-year employee of Taney’s, feels Engle has a knack for the job.
“She’s a quick learner,” Balitski said. “You have to pull the pieces, you have to know what the customer wants, and she’s got it.”
While many people may strictly associate Taney’s with Halloween, Nole stressed the shop has a booming balloon business and caters to each holiday throughout the year.
“Having a balloon artist who can tailor your piece to your design is huge,” she said. “You’re not just getting a bag of balloons on Amazon; we design them, we talk with the customers, we come up with a plan, and we deliver them.”
Balitski — who cherishes working for the business — looks forward to serving in an advisory capacity with the new owners.
“It has to be one of the best jobs in the world,” she said. “You get to come and play with costumes and wigs, and hats, and we wear little things on our heads during the day when we’re in here working.”
Balitski also takes pride in matching customers with a costume that brightens their spirit.
“This whole business is about joy,” she said. “People come through the door and they want you to help them. They come in and say, ‘I don’t know what I want to be.’ You spend a couple minutes with them, and you talk, and you find out what they like and what they might want to do. Then, because of the talent, we pull what they need and they go away happier.”
Engle and Nole originally planned to become nurses until they had a change of heart and agreed to take over Taney’s, Shotto said.
“This opportunity popped up and they said, ‘let’s do what we really love’ — balloons and costumes,” he said.
Nole and Engle met in Lancaster, where they lived for about a decade while working in a psychiatric hospital.
The women, who have a background in theater, expressed their creativity around their home, Engle said.
“We spent all of those years creating Halloween fantasy lands in our house,” she said.
James O’Hora, of Taney’s Costume Shop, uses a ladder to reach the masks that cover the walls inside the store in Scranton in Oct. 2013. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)
Former Taney’s Costume Shop owner Craig Friedman stands among the masks and costumes in the Scranton store in Oct. 2020. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)
A variety of masks on display inside Taney’s Costume Shop, 1406 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
Taney’s Costume Shop, 1406 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
A selection of masks available at Taney’s Costume Shop on North Washington Avenue in Scranton on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE/STAFF PHOTO)
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James O’Hora, of Taney’s Costume Shop, uses a ladder to reach the masks that cover the walls inside the store in Scranton in Oct. 2013. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)
The store remained at 648 N. Washington Ave. until 1972 when Taney moved it to 1406 N. Washington Ave. Taney died in 1974 and James O’Hora — a local theater and costume and makeup legend — acquired the business shortly after.
O’Hora ran the business from 1974 to 1996, when he sold his interest to his sister, Christina Keller.
In 1979 and 1980, O’Hora doubled the size of Taney’s by adding an addition to the store for costume rentals.
O’Hora’s acquired the business back from Keller in August 2007. He retired and put the store up for sale in October 2018.
Craig Friedman — who owned a theater production company — bought Taney’s in 2019. He passed away in April.
Nole expressed gratitude for the assistance and well wishes provided by Friedman’s family.
“They have been so supportive, so kind, and willing to help us in any way they can,” she said.
Business partners Allison Engle, Spencer Shotto, and Ashley Nole pose for a photograph with a costume that has been in Taney’s Costume Shop in Scranton since it’s opening over a century ago.
Masks hang on the wall in Taney’s Costume Shop in Scranton Monday, January 19, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Various types of balloons hang on the wall of Taney’s Costume Shop in Scranton Monday, January 19, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Business partners Allison Engle, Spencer Shotto, and Ashley Nole pose for a photograph in Taney’s Costume Shop in Scranton Monday, January 19, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)