Our Story — Four Generations of Costuming

The story of Heritage Costumes began in 1968 in Redondo Beach, California, with our mother, a licensed beautician and owner of a small salon called The Scarlet House, named for her fondness for Scarlett O’Hara and Gone with the Wind.

Looking for a way to supplement her salon business, she purchased a collection of approximately 500 costumes and began renting them from the back of the salon. What started as a small side business quickly grew. Costume rentals proved so successful that before long, costumes became her career.

In 1970, she and her mother—our grandmother—expanded the collection by purchasing costumes from the famous MGM auction, including pieces from the renowned Berman costume collection. The business eventually moved into a large warehouse in historic Old Torrance, California, where the family operated a costume rental shop and established a small manufacturing facility to begin creating costumes of their own.

From there, the business continued to grow. What began as one small production operation expanded to multiple manufacturing facilities, producing themed costumes and garments for restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues, and theme parks.

When our mother retired, she passed the business on to her sons. The next generation continued to expand into new areas of costuming and eventually made the decision to close the rental side of the business and concentrate on what we did best: creating quality historical costumes.

In 2012, International Costumes became Heritage Costumes, reflecting our growing focus on historical clothing and the heritage of a family business that had already been making costumes for more than four decades.

Today, Heritage Costumes is operated by the eldest son and his wife. We continue to manufacture and sell historical costumes online while proudly creating specialty costuming for longtime clients including Disney and Knott’s Berry Farm, as well as museums and other organizations.

And the story continues. Our son has now joined the company, representing the fourth generation of our family involved in the business. He brings new ideas, technology, and a fresh perspective while learning from more than half a century of family experience.

From 500 costumes in the back of a beauty salon in 1968 to four generations of costuming, much has changed—but our purpose remains the same: to create costumes that help bring history, characters, and stories to life.

Heritage Costumes — A Family Tradition Since 1968.

📍 Our Address

Heritage Costumes Inc.
1423 Marcelina Ave
Torrance, CA 90501

⚠️ Please note: 

We are an online-only business. This address is for mailing and returns only—no walk-ins or in-person service is available.