Hi, my name is Tani & I worked my whole life to own a costume business. I worked 15 years to buy Make Believe, inc. I took over in 2016, & thing were great for a while. Then rent costs went up, retail market went down, & we had to move. Then move again to rental only. Then move again to try & partner with a production company. Things were looking good but then...Covid. I was still designing shows ( via zoom) but worked at a grocery store to keep things in storage. Once things opened up again, I resumed my design work & quit the grocery store. I was building things back up when my husband & I became pregnant( Yay!) However, I had to stop working. Since then, I have been selling off costumes & consolidating my 3 storage units down to 2. Thanks to the help of friends & volunteers I was able to get this done while pregnant.

Now I need to consolidate down to 1 unit, as I can only afford to keep 1. Getting this done with a baby has been tricky. This will hold my most treasured costumes & supplies, my paintbox of creativity, so I can continue to work in design as my daughter grows. It is an investment in our future.

I need these funds to rent a uhaul & pay movers to move the items to the main unit. This money will also cover the storage fees for the units during this time. One unit is $460/mo, the other is $600/mo.

>I need a minimum of $800 by July 30th to pay this month's fees.<

This situation has been further stressed by the current industry strikes, which have left my husband waiting to return to work. The money I make walking dogs is going to take care of the baby groceries, instead of paying my storage.

If you know me, then you know how much these costumes mean to me. I have lived & worked with them since I was 23. I hope to have the chance to design & work again soon.

Anyone who donates is welcome to come & pick up a costume item from me as a gift.

Thank you