Racks of Victorian ballgowns, Italian soldiers’ uniforms and opera finery lined the San Francisco Opera's Scene Shop in Burlingame this weekend as the company threw open its costume closets to the public. The sale, held Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with last entry at 4:30 p.m., offered pieces from productions including Luisa Miller, Un Ballo in Maschera, Idomeneo, Fidelio and Don Giovanni, priced from $5 up to $525, with premium items going for more.
A Weekend Sale at the Burlway Road Warehouse
The event took place at the company's Scene Shop at 826 Burlway Road in Burlingame, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Entry tickets ran $5 to $25 depending on the day and time, with each ticket covering two hours of shopping, according to a San Francisco Opera press release. A by-invitation pre-sale and reception for donors at the Intermezzo Silver level and above took place Friday, ahead of the general public sale.
The racks weren't just costumes. Stage props and other opera merchandise were also up for grabs, the Chronicle reported. Shoppers browsing the shop could find garments by designers including Thierry Bosquet, Carrie Robbins, Pet Halmen, Michael Stennett and Dunya Ramicova, all featured in the sale per the same outlet's reporting.
Why the Opera Is Clearing Out Its Closets
San Francisco Opera periodically hosts costume sales simply to make room for new productions, the company said in its press release. All proceeds from entry fees and sales go to support the opera itself.
Not the Only Opera Clearing Out the Costume Vault
San Francisco Opera isn't alone in turning old wardrobes into fundraising opportunities. Utah Opera held its own costumes, props and set furniture sale in Salt Lake City in August, pricing items by bag size — $20 for anything that fit into a 13-gallon garment bag, $5 for a smaller shopping bag, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Whether San Francisco's version matched that kind of turnout, or how much the two-day sale ultimately raised, wasn't detailed in available accounts. What's clear is that for opera fans in the Bay Area, the Burlingame warehouse offered a rare chance to take home a piece of the stage — costumes that once carried arias now hanging in someone's closet instead.
