Buffalo is becoming more and more of a city where collaborations are key. We’ve seen it in all sorts of industries, with the emergence of collectives and cooperatives. One industry that needed to come together as a collective was that of theatrical costuming. Seeing an opportunity for a shared space, where seamstresses, tailors, and anyone else involved with the creation of wardrobes and costumes could work and collaborate, Jenna Damberger, Kay Johnson, and Brenna Prather launched Houndstooth Costume Collective (HCC).
(L-R) Managing Director Brenna Prather, Founder and Creative Director Jenna Damberger, and Operations Manager Kay Johnson
I met up with the trio in the “green room” of their new collective, located at 651 Main Street (the Pierce Building). The green room is situated in the front of the house, although its function is that of the back of the house. It’s where the creative meetings are held. The room has a community (conference) table, a lounge area, and a smart TV with Wi-Fi, where designers can cast photos and videos remotely from their phones and computers.
As we toured The Collective, I learned that Tru Commercial Development (new owners of the building) had combined two storefronts to accommodate the varied and diverse needs of the tenant/s. This resulted in “The Portal” between the two spacious rooms, for convenient accessibility.
On the one side, there is a reception area, production work stations, a sewing suite with numerous sewing machines (including industrial sewing machines, which are available to rent), seamstress studios, ironing tables, a full range of mannequins, a gravity steam iron, etc. No matter how large or small the job, there are resources available to those who are members of the collective, or those who are looking to rent amenities.
On the other side of the HCC, there’s a substantial kitchen, a vestment cabinet filled with sewing supplies, a Back Stage Baby Café (to keep visiting children entertained), privacy screens, an industrial basin, washer and ventless dryer, fitting rooms, power tools, a hair and makeup station (with supplies), storage racks, laptop work stations, and a “dream box” that is stocked with just about any practical item imaginable, from markers to steel boning. There are also some specialty goods, such as muslin, and coutil – a fabric specifically for corsetry.
HCC was designed so that anyone working on a project would never have to leave, to go to the store for a thimble, to get some exercise, or to go home to take care of the dog – there’s a dog playpen in the sprawling temperature controlled basement, where the fabric and costume stock is stored.
The idea for the HCC came about when Jenna, who is originally from Cleveland, but moved to Buffalo from Boston, came to realize that there was an opportunity at hand.
“The way that theater works here in Buffalo is different,” she told me. “It’s unique because there are so many smaller companies that don’t have full time costume staff. Studio space is limited and hard to come by. There’s so much amazing work happening – the talent here is unreal. But it’s a challenge to maintain a work-life balance. There’s a lot of shlepping. I felt that we could change the quality of our lives to have a work place that was open to the costume community. This is a collective that is expansive, across disciplines. We intend to keep the space open, and keep it stocked for people to be productive.”
There’s nothing like the HCC anywhere in the region, as far as I am aware – a place for theater artists and visual artists to come together, share resources, and operate as a think tank. Not only is it a place where people can readily share ideas, they can also get creative, without the hassles and confines that typically slow them down. At HCC, the production potential is virtually limitless, for freelancers who are involved with set design… or others who need a space to host meetings.
Jenna met Brenna (from the outskirts of NYC), and Kay (from Buffalo) when she needed help with a production that she was working on. The three hit it off. They quickly realized that this city was a place where they could not only afford to live, they could freely move about, and breathe.
“Typically, we do fittings in odd places,” said Brenna. “Whether that’s in a dark corner of a theater or in a small apartment. HCC provides us with everything that we need to get the job done, with windows!”
The HCC footprint is so large, that there is even room for theater rehearsals. There are also talks of dedicating the towering walls to artists – Houndstooth Gallery, perhaps?
Eventually, the team wants to host workshops and other educational programs, to teach people how to sew, fabricate garments, design, etc. They feel that they can all learn from one another, which is how collectives organically grow.
Already, the theater community is outsourcing jobs to HCC. The trio is currently working around the clock, as the new theater season gets underway. In a way, they are essentially living at The Collective, but they wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, without this indispensable resource, they would find themselves scrambling about, wasting time, money, and resources, with no place to call home.
I asked Jenna why she named the business The Houndstooth Costume Collective. She told me that houndstooth is her favorite pattern, and that it’s a classic. It also happens to be the perfect fit for the classic art deco building that is ideally located in the heart of the Theater District, along the Metro Rail line. It’s for all of these reasons that they have come to find the perfect setting… for all of their wants and needs. It’s almost too good to be true. But it just goes to demonstrate the power of the collective, once again.
And what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander. Jenna made mention that there is another space in the building that is for lease, for anyone that is looking to launch a like-minded business. Possibly someone who is interested in fabrics and materials? Fashion related work? Maybe there’s an opportunity for a network of fashionistas to open a collective of their own, with small studios and pooled resources? Bigger metropolitan cities have garment districts. Buffalo was once home to plenty of these types of makers and designers. The HCC could be a catalyst for bringing back this sort of old world industry. They have created a building block. Now, let’s see where it takes them, and us.
Houndstooth Costume Collective | 651 Main Street, Buffalo, NY | (716) 725-6287 | Instagram | Facebook
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