{"id":91025,"date":"2026-01-19T20:07:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T20:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/91025\/"},"modified":"2026-01-19T20:07:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T20:07:15","slug":"ownership-change-keeps-costume-shop-in-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/91025\/","title":{"rendered":"Ownership change keeps costume shop in community"},"content":{"rendered":"

SCRANTON \u2014 The new operators of Taney\u2019s Costume Shop plan to preserve the past while looking to the future as the store prepares to celebrate 100 years in business.<\/p>\n

Ashley Nole \u2014 who grew up in Dunmore before relocating to Lancaster \u2014 recognized the importance of keeping the historic shop open upon returning to the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we saw the post that they were closing, we were absolutely devastated,\u201d Nole said. \u201cTaney\u2019s 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\u2019re looking at getting a website up and running so people can rent costumes or order balloons online.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new owners intend to make a big push to educate people, near and far, about the unique offerings available at Taney\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d like to have a big social media presence and just get our name out there,\u201d Nole said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just for Scranton, it\u2019s for all over. I had a customer, the other day, drive an hour just to come pick up a costume.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

While the sale has not been finalized, Nole said it\u2019s nearing the final stretch. The shop is open Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe papers need to be signed, but everything else is in place,\u201d Nole said.<\/p>\n

Shotto, the assistant technical director for performing arts at Wilkes University, noted the inventory needs to be updated to meet current demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been stated that there are more than 10,000 costumes here,\u201d he said. \u201cObviously, some of them are older and need to be retired. We\u2019re 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\u2019t really been explored by Taney\u2019s in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shotto, who attended Scranton Prep, recalls many trips to Taney\u2019s and looks forward to being part of the renowned business.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many times I came to Taney\u2019s to get fitted, and how many costumes I wore on stage,\u201d he said. \u201cMy mom used to make dresses and she would come in here and say, \u2018I made that one, or I wore that one in high school.\u2019 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\u2019s apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Engle has been working to prepare costumes for customers the last couple of weeks, and Paige Balitski, a 20-year employee of Taney\u2019s, feels Engle has a knack for the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a quick learner,\u201d Balitski said. \u201cYou have to pull the pieces, you have to know what the customer wants, and she\u2019s got it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While many people may strictly associate Taney\u2019s with Halloween, Nole stressed the shop has a booming balloon business and caters to each holiday throughout the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a balloon artist who can tailor your piece to your design is huge,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balitski \u2014 who cherishes working for the business \u2014 looks forward to serving in an advisory capacity with the new owners.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has to be one of the best jobs in the world,\u201d she said. \u201cYou get to come and play with costumes and wigs, and hats, and we wear little things on our heads during the day when we\u2019re in here working.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balitski also takes pride in matching customers with a costume that brightens their spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis whole business is about joy,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople come through the door and they want you to help them. They come in and say, \u2018I don\u2019t know what I want to be.\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Engle and Nole originally planned to become nurses until they had a change of heart and agreed to take over Taney\u2019s, Shotto said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis opportunity popped up and they said, \u2018let\u2019s do what we really love\u2019 \u2014 balloons and costumes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Nole and Engle met in Lancaster, where they lived for about a decade while working in a psychiatric hospital.<\/p>\n

The women, who have a background in theater, expressed their creativity around their home, Engle said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent all of those years creating Halloween fantasy lands in our house,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"James<\/p>\n

James O\u2019Hora, of Taney\u2019s 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)\n<\/p>\n

\"Former<\/p>\n

Former Taney\u2019s Costume Shop owner Craig Friedman stands among the masks and costumes in the Scranton store in Oct. 2020. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A variety of masks on display inside Taney\u2019s Costume Shop, 1406 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"Taney\u2019s<\/p>\n

Taney\u2019s Costume Shop, 1406 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A selection of masks available at Taney\u2019s Costume Shop on North Washington Avenue in Scranton on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (ROBERT TOMKAVAGE\/STAFF PHOTO)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 5<\/p>\n

James O\u2019Hora, of Taney\u2019s 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)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u2019Hora \u2014 a local theater and costume and makeup legend \u2014 acquired the business shortly after.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Hora ran the business from 1974 to 1996, when he sold his interest to his sister, Christina Keller.<\/p>\n

In 1979 and 1980, O\u2019Hora doubled the size of Taney\u2019s by adding an addition to the store for costume rentals.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Hora\u2019s acquired the business back from Keller in August 2007. He retired and put the store up for sale in October 2018.<\/p>\n

Craig Friedman \u2014 who owned a theater production company \u2014\u00a0 bought Taney\u2019s in 2019. He passed away in April.<\/p>\n

Nole expressed gratitude for the assistance and well wishes provided by Friedman\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have been so supportive, so kind, and willing to help us in any way they can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"BusinessBusiness partners Allison Engle, Spencer Shotto, and Ashley Nole pose for a photograph with a costume that has been in Taney\u2019s Costume Shop in Scranton since it\u2019s opening over a century ago.
\n\"MasksMasks hang on the wall in Taney\u2019s Costume Shop in Scranton Monday, January 19, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
\n\"VariousVarious types of balloons hang on the wall of Taney\u2019s Costume Shop in Scranton Monday, January 19, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
\n\"BusinessBusiness partners Allison Engle, Spencer Shotto, and Ashley Nole pose for a photograph in Taney\u2019s Costume Shop in Scranton Monday, January 19, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCRANTON \u2014 The new operators of Taney\u2019s Costume Shop plan to preserve the past while looking to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":91026,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[60,201,182,803,28,178,180,179,181],"class_list":["post-91025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-business","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-luzerne-county","tag-pennsylvania","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-top-stories-stt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}