Boo La La

Never deal with again!
My wife and I had a 1920’s dinner booked but had to cancel, we had previously reserved and paid for a dress rental for her. $ 80.00 (steep for a single dress rental) 3 weeks out in advance.
I called and explained we had to cancel, 10 days notice, the women explained to me that I would only be getting back 75% of the 80 Dollars???
She said it was how a small business could stay alive by doing business this way and she was glad that I understood… hahahahahahaha!
There was no mention of any of this when I paid for it or on the receipt either
She said «I was getting a good deal by getting 75% back LOL!
WOW, the audacity of this person, I explained to her that not only is it illegal to do what she is doing but very damaging to customer relations as well
We will never be back, and I will write this review everywhere that I can,
If this is how this small business is run I will never step foot inside this store again

Such a fun place! I was greeted and helped right away. I even had emailed the lovely ladies who work there about my costume prior to going and got a response right away. They have a lot of costumes to select from and the pricing is not bad depending on the costume. The staff was super friendly. What a fun-​filled store !

We stayed in North Vancouver and fellow Unilocaler, Evilyn T. gave this place high regards so Steve and I went in to check the place out!
The store is on the second story of a building containing various types of businesses. Upon going in my senses went into costume overload. They had everything you could possibly want to have a great costume party. They even had those big, furry animal costumes that Michael Alig made cool during his Disco 2000 days when before they were just kind of boring.
There are various kinds of costumes you can buy or rent so not doing a awesome motif here is simply because imagination is not at work here.
They had some awesome goggles and Mad Hatter hats which were very enticing!
The staff here was super friendly and very nice.
Really an awesome place for variety and get costume ideas!

Great costume store to buy or rent. I bought a great pirate costume. The staff is very helpful and polite. I will go again for another costume when the time comes.

Expect to pay around $ 55 for a rental, which is pricey (I think, I’ve never rented a costume before), but the costumes are great and I doubt anyone else can compare to their selection. (I think, again.)
I did mention that there are frequent parties that seem to be themed, and the employee (Danielle) said that we can discuss discounts when I return the costume.
She styled me perfectly and also made me swoon, and hopefully I’ll show up to the Gatsby party and make you guys swoon too. We’ll see.

I saw there booth at this years Fan Expo. The booth was owned by two awesome friendly ladies who clearly love their costumes. If you were at Fan Expo and forgot your costume, here is where you can pick up your awesome super hero costume. They had a 2 – 1 sale which meant I got my Halloween shopping out of the way, 6 months in advance. The lady was so good that she was able to tell my size right away and I was satisfied with both purchases as they fit perfectly. Not only were the costumes good for the convention, they doubled up as lingerie for the bedroom. I bought a Robin costume and the cap was ripped. I didn’t inspect it out of the bag before going home, just went on pure trust. I didn’t bring the cape either for an exchange as I left it at home. To be honest, the cape was ugly but the moral of the lesson is to check all accessories before leaving. I can sew it up if I really wanted to, however, it is just easier for me to buy a better cape.

This is obviously a well-​kept secret for people who love costumes, because I had never even heard of it before! I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t venture over to North Van very often (if ever) so when my friend suggested the place I thought she was joking. And as I strolled up the street and the stores seemed to disappear into suburbia I thought I’d been punk’d. However, on the last stretch of shopping, I saw the sign for Boo La La with an arrow pointing upstairs.
I think I heard the angels singing «halleluja» as I opened the doors. This wasn’t just a trinkety over-​priced Halloween store, this was a costume shop that rented GOOD costumes. You know, like team mascots, period costumes and they even had a Yoda costume for nerds like Rheanna F. I was on the hunt for a specific wig — which I found, plus some other fun accessories that I can sport when I am on the town.
The service was awesome, the lady helping me was super excited about my costume building as much as I was, and there is nothing better than being helped by someone who loves what they do. She gave me some flyers since they are having a costume sale in the beginning of May where you can buy one get one FREE. Yes, that’s right, not half off, FREE my friends. Lord knows I can make more space in my closet for costumes somewhere! Let’s fucking do this!

I recently interviewed the owner of Boo La La (which up until recently was called Carol’s Costume Corner). Laurie Sluchinski is as funny and happy as the costumes she sells in her stores. She’s got a real passion and love for her work — a lot of which she says has to do with styling local theatre companies and student/​independent films, as well as providing costumes for extras on the many movie sets hosted in our lovely city — so I have to give her a big Unilocal thumbs up!
(Note: The store offers 15,000 costumes, vintage accessories and other items for sale or rent, including Astro Naughty, Billie Jean Jacket and Pants, Alice Hat and Collar, Count Chocula and theme clothes from just about every age and corner of the world. Sluchinski’s store only caters to adults — no kids or pets.)

While the staff here were lovely, I was not that thrilled with selection or value for price … I needed a flapper dress, and the only one in my size (large, but not *that* large … women’s 12 – 14) was in really terrible shape.
Now, it’s my fault … I’d let this go until the last minute as I didn’t have time to try anywhere else. But, I was not thrilled with the price to value ratio– $ 61.50 for a one week rental of a thrashed costume that I could have purchased brand new, in perfect condition, on the internet for $ 40 if only I had planned ahead– or probably purchased used for $ 5 at Value Village if I’d given myself time to look.
They do have a very good selection in «medium» sizes– if you’re a 6 – 10, and willing to spend quite a bit of money, you’ll probably be happy. Some of their theatrical pieces were pretty spectacular.

We needed to rent some costumes for a themed cruise and came to Carol’s.
Talk about people who get into their work! I didn’t think it was possible for my colleague and me to be convincing Saloon Girls for a gold rush theme, but baby they have it all there! I have more ruffles, fish net and feather boa than I know what to do with…
Their selection is epic, and the quality is fantastic. Want to be a naughty nurse or Marie Antoinette? This is your spot. Prices are realistic for the quality of the costumes.
Tip: Park around the raised back parking area in the back of the building, the door there leads right into the store.

The store’s slogan is «It’s more fun in costume», and it’s definitely true. I have rented from here a couple of times (for the North Shore Canada Day Parade), and the staff are helpful, enthusiastic, and VERY friendly. The selection of costumes to rent is pretty impressive, and they’re willing to let you mix and match bits from different costumes to help you achieve just the look you want. They also have accessories to sell, either to go together with the rental costumes, or to help you put together a costume using your own clothes.