Lucia Jackson, a busy mother and corporate retail consultant, went to school to design wedding gowns. But somewhere along the line, her love of costumes turned into a business she runs from her
Northside home. On June 14,
Kintimate Costumes is holding a mod-themed open house to celebrate its expansion.
Jackson’s three-bedroom home at 1522 Knowlton will soon be full of costumes. Since its founding in 2011, Jackson has operated Kintimate from the house’s attic, but her inventory has grown exponentially since then.
“The costumes started to burst the seams of the attic, and I knew it was time to expand,” Jackson says. “No matter how much inventory I have, this house will be able to store it.”
With so much growth in Northside, Jackson says she’s in a prime location. Twenty new apartments will soon be built next door to her, and another 80 are going in across the street. “I hope that those 100 people will need costumes,” she says.
Jackson has something new in store for costume lovers and party-goers. Kintimate will now be offering a party planning option, with parties held at Jackson’s house or with Kintimate throwing a party at another location.
Although she hasn’t done any advertising for the party planning, she has already hosted a number of gatherings, from bachelorette parties to baby showers to a wedding reception for 500 guests.
“My friends and I recently dressed up as Disney princesses for a 4-year-old’s birthday party,” Jackson says. “We showed up, had cake and read the kids stories. It’s probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever done.”
For the 2014-2015 school year, Kintimate is partnering with
Cincinnati Public Schools through
School Aids. Jackson wants to work with schools’ theatrical departments to teach kids how to find costumes, research them and make them rather than hiring a company like Kintimate to make them. With that, when a school is finished with a costume, Kintimate will then rent or sell it, with the proceeds from each sale or rental going back to the original designer.
“I would love to see us working with students from
DAAP and independent designers,” Jackson says. “They could use the program as a great jumping off point. And I would love to see my costumes attached to a number of designers.”
Jackson has big dreams for Kintimate—in a few years, she would love to see a number of locations, each with a team of designers busy making costumes.
“When I was a teenager, my dad told me that I couldn’t party the rest of my life,” she says. “I think that’s the only thing he’s ever been wrong about.”
For starters, Kintimate will be open three or four days through the weekend, from noon to 6 or 7 p.m. It will always be available for appointments, and parties can be booked any time.
By Caitlin Koenig
Follow Caitlin on Twitter
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