Adult Services Librarian Addison Reese organizes the costumes in the Halloween Costume Swap Stop on Oct. 1. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Throughout the month of October, a Halloween Costume Swap Stop will be held in the Shepherdstown Public Library.

The idea for the swap was inspired by Adult Services Librarian Addison Reese’s own experience searching for reasonably priced costumes for her children.

“There’s this big consignment sale that they used to do in Hagerstown, that I used to go to when my kids were little. The costume rack was my favorite rack to go to at the sale, because my kids like to dress up. I could always get things there, far cheaper than they could be purchased for elsewhere,” Reese said. “For instance, they had some Disney-branded costumes that would have originally cost $40, but that they were selling for $5.”

When the idea for a free version of that rack came to her mind, Reese shared it with Youth Services Librarian Jessie Ward, who equally loved the idea.

“After we did the last kids clothing swap here, we said, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have something similar for costumes?'” Reese said, referring to clothing swaps held periodically throughout the year in the library. “She was the one to really put it into action.”

Reese said that the Halloween Costume Swap Stop has already drawn a lot of interest from the community, with people dropping off costumes even the day before it officially opened.

“Costumes can be kind of expensive. A lot of parents have costumes lying around that their kids have grown out of, but are still in good condition. If they are brought here, they can know that the costumes will be appreciated and enjoyed — they won’t just end up in a landfill somewhere,” Reese said. “This swap is doing good for people’s pocket books and doing good for the environment.”

Anyone may drop off or pick up a costume from the Halloween Costume Swap Stop closet, during regular library hours.

Some donation guidelines are in place, Reese noted, for quality control purposes. Costumes, which can be for any size of person, should be clean and in good condition, without rips, stains or missing pieces. They should be washed before donating. Accessories are also welcome, whether they be hats, masks, capes or treat bags.

“The library is always sharing books and movies and more with its patrons, so it’s in the nature of a library, to encourage more sharing of things,” Reese said. “We’re promoting what we all sincerely believe in, that we can make our world better by sharing our resources with one another.”

Shepherdstown Public Library Director Christy Hagerty said she was thrilled to see this new initiative taking shape.

“This is great,” Hagerty said. “Once again, the community is coming together and sharing their resources with one another at the library. It’s just another great example of how the library reaches out, to strengthen and support the local community.”