Lost Eras is a wonder of old treasures and what seems like endless miles of fascinating wardrobe pieces from across the ages. I absolutely love coming here and have purchase antiques, found costumes for parties, and most recently outfitted actors for a short film we just wrapped up. As glorious as the limitless colorful racks of clothing may be, the staff are what make Lost Eras special. Ive worked with Charlotte on multiple occasions and she delights in helping me to build looks, which I never could have imagined for myself. The entire staff works hard to translate the imagination of a customer into a reality, and they are GREAT at it. Come here for antiques, for cool clothes, for costumes, and even just to be fascinated and engaged by the coolest people in the city. As always, thank you for being wonderful! (See photos of costumes Ive built with the help of Lost Eras).

Such a beautiful selection of vintage items! Be prepared to spend hours in here as you will find yourself lost in what this place has to offer. Also, the PERFECT spot for vintage gowns and clothing items that I was looking for. Worth the 1.5hr drive!!!

Lost Eras is by far the coolest vintage store I’ve ever been to. I spent hours admiring all of the clothes, costumes, antiques, and knick-knacks. The vintage selection is phenomenal - easily the best in the far north neighborhoods of Chicago. If you’re looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon, I highly recommend Lost Eras! Thank you, Charlotte and Brandon!

Nice store👍

Oh my gosh this place is so fun. Its chaotic in the best way and the staff is so friendly. It felt like the costume shop of a theatre times 1000. It was oddly relaxing going though all the pieces and was totally worth the drive from the suburbs! Would totally reccommend for lovers of all things vintage.

Outstanding experience! We worked with Charlotte and her team to sell vintage clothing, antiques, unusual collectibles and other items treasured by my aunt. Charlotte was very caring and interested to hear the origins of the items and was particular in her selections of what would work well in the store and the needs of their customers. We were offered very fair prices. Overall, highly recommend Lost Eras to anyone looking to sell valuable treasures, as well as to anyone looking to buy...youre bound to find what youre looking for! Thank you Charlotte & team!Joann and Bruce

This is one of the most impressive collections of vintage clothing and aged artifacts (in good condition) I have ever seen. The atmosphere brings alive creativity and inspiration. The owner and the workers are all incredibly kind and helpful as well. All around a great place to spend time and money on unique items. You will be very glad you explored this store!

I remembered the guy tht work there gave my cousin a fake props coin which he think it was real anyways he made the lil boys day.

This place is interesting. There is so much history and stuff its fun to look around. The issue I have is the store itself is overpacked and things are very highly priced.

This place has some neat stuff but it’s really overpriced. Everything is at least $100. The staff seemed rude, too. We won’t be back.

A friend of mine brought me here for the first time and it was an amazing experience! Was able to find so many pieces. We spent a few hours here and ended up leaving with a Versace suit and so many rented items. Check it out! You are sure to find something you like!

Funky and fun! You really never know what you are going to find when you go in here! Great for antiques and year round costume needs. If you are in the theater, they have a whole floor for props and costumes and it has been a while since i looked into it but i know they used to rent as well as sell costumes.

This is one of the coolest places I have ever been. My partner found a legitimate Pinkerton coat, and I found a very good hat! Very crowded and not very accessible unfortunately but for those with the ability to walk it is definitely a must see if you enjoy antique-ing! I almost needs whole day to look through everything. Lots of little secret places - and lots of opportunities to hit your head on low hanging poles, so watch out! Very nice staff, and very reasonable pricing.

Bought an absolutely beautiful table made of burl, was helped by a group of wonderful women! They can tell you anything and everything about each piece. Cant wait to go back and see what else they have in store!

The staff was very friendly and helpful. The place is immense and has things from many different time periods. I had clothes to sell from my Mother, Charlotte was very empathetic to the history of my items. I feel I got more than a fair price for what I was selling. You can find almost anything you’d like here. Very positive experience.

Great Place, Great Antiques... I would recommend 100%

This place is filled with so many gems from mid century design to beautiful costumes and everything in between. It’s always exciting to walk around the store because you never know what you’ll find. The staff is also extremely helpful and friendly. I love coming to this spot

This is my new favorite store!! So much fun and unique stuff in the store. Lost Eras has antiques (kinda pricey but probably relatively reasonable), vintage clothing, LP records, wigs, and costumes. I was blown away by the amount of unique costumes. I will definitely be going back here to purchase costumes and vintage clothing in the future. This store is a must-see if you love old things and playing dress-up. My friend and I spent 30 minutes in the wig section alone.

Casey was just a kid when I worked there. Charlotte always had a keen eye for interesting items. As a musician, the rental spaces above the store. Was much appreciated. Thanks for supporting local music. Besides that! Halloween was such a exciting time in the store. #Iris#Don#Will. Old school.

Awesome staff, huge selection of quality and premium items at super reasonable prices all in a very COVID-safe atmosphere.

Getting married in July and wanted a tailcoat that carried history in its pockets. Found a tailcoat from the 1930s in the deep recesses of the basement. And the price was right. You arent paying more than on-line here, and if you are, its because youre getting your moneys worth. The two folks running the counter were awesome. Ive been coming here for decades and have never been disappointed. So many places that didnt come from a cookie-cutter have been lost in this city. This place is not only a survivor. This place does it in style.

My experience at Lost Eras was amazing. The store is huge and filled with so many interesting items. I could spend hours in the store. The staff is very helpful and friendly. Love this place!!

This season was my second time renting (yes RENTING!) a couple pieces for a Halloween costume and I must say this place is so cool! It may seem like it’s a little chaotic and disorganized but underneath there is a method to the madness and this is one of the coolest store in the city to get lost in for a couple hours. So many unique finds. I was able to come up with an amazing Halloween costume that I wouldn’t have been able to buy off amazon. The owner is a sweet lady who knows her stuff. If you want a costume to stand out this is the place to come to find that eye catching piece.

The cream of antique stores: broad variety; deeply interesting and quality pieces. I dealt with Charlotte and her son Casey on different days, and had a really satisfying experience all round (I also bought more stuff than I intended).Not only are their prices fair, but they were willing to work a trade with me so I could acquire a present for someone special that was out of my cash price-range. Lost Eras is an essential experience for Chicago natives and anyone passing through within striking distance.

This place is amazing! I seriously could spend hours in this shop given the immense amount of curios in this place! The owner Charlotte is a wonderful woman, and is always more than happy to help! I need to save up and buy myself something really snazzy here!

They are super generous and knowledgeable about eras! I went with an 11 year old who needed to be photographed for a school project, and they let us try on costumes and take pictures for the cost of renting one piece for an hour! It was super fun, relaxed vibe, and they have a wide variety of things.

I’ve been coming here for 20+ years for various need for my business. From video production work to events, the owners Casey and Cora have always taken care of me and my company. I highly recommend Lost Eras.

Fantastic costume / prop store. A ton of options and hidden treasures. You never know what youre gonna find! They also offer costume rentals.

Part of me is apprehensive about reviewing this gem, because if you read this, you will go and then everyone will go and they will sell out of stock at that magnificent little shop, like the one in the movie Gremlins! This place blew me away. Dont expect Halloween costumes or garbage dump thrift goods. This place is the real deal.

This place is really awesome! For all ye antiques collectors, theres a huge variety of antiques. I went to find a costume for Purim, and I was simply overwhelmed by the amount of costumes they have! The guy behind the counter was very friendly and more than willing to help with any questions! I got really good vibes from this place! Definitely recommended to just browse, even if you dont plan to buy anything.

This is a really interesting place to just roam around in. However, their prices are REALLY high and most of the clothing is REALLY damaged. As a vintage clothing lover, it made me sad to go down into the basement and see how poorly all the once lovely vintage clothing is stored. If I had tons of time, I could probably have found diamonds in the rough, but it is so dusty that its hard to spend much time in there.

This place is really fun. You can find good antique wares and even newer versions. I love coming to browse, you never know what you might find!

Had a wonderful time exploring this gem location! Costumes, props, toys, wigs, armor, jewelry, antiques, everything you could ever want! Fantastic store and friendly staff helped us find just what we were looking for!

Having not been before, I didnt know what to expect but was so pleased to see the huge collection at the shop. Dont be intimated by the size, everything is organized well. I intended to spend an hour here, but spent nearly 2.5 wandering, and left feeling really relieved that I had found most of what I was looking for to re create an 1890s saloon for the Chicago Athletic Association hotel.

Theres so much to see and explore in this multi-room space! The variety of costumes and accessories is amazing! The staff is also very nice and helpful! Great place to buy or rent that next great costume for Halloween or any dress up occasion!

Its utter chaos in there, but this place has everything. Youll have to dig and be creative, but its really an amazing experience. And whatever you do, dont forget to visit the basement!

Fun place with lots and lots of stuff! Reasonable prices, but much is not labled, which can be a problem if the owner is not there. A little chaotic, bit thats always fun in an antique/thrift store. Friendly staff.

Casey and Cora are the best merchants ever. Knowledgeable, welcoming,true professionals.Love this treasure trove of amazing finds.Incredible!

Such an incredible timewarp, not to mention the amazing people who staff the store. 10/10 would recommend for all ages

Why the lowest rating? Because I dont like people who dont have character or EMPATHY. An acquaintance of mine once rented a furnished studio from Charlotte and she encouraged me to visit this antique shop to check to see if there were any available units available for me to rent. I called Charlottes son a year ago and he encouraged me to stop by...so I did and ended up purchasing 2 vintage coats and a shrug. On one instance I had placed a piece on lay away but my coat had been misplaced and they couldnt find my physical proof of purchase in their filing system. Fortunately for me I have a photographic memory because the owner was going to attempt to overcharge me. We decided on the remainder portion of what I owed and I mentioned I was still in deep need of an apartment but she stated her unit hadnt been fixed after her friend died of cancer there. I mentioned I had two separate storage fees I pay and renting from her would be of help to me to alleviate my high costs each month. She suggested I sell all my antiques to her; but thats not the answer I wanted to hear nor an option for me.One of my coats i purchased has a button that now must be repaired and the shrug was a poor purchasing decision I made because its in poor condition. Nothing there is stored properly so you may end up buying an article of clothing with flaws or micro tears in the fabric if you arent careful. I havent been back to make any new purchases because I can get much higher quality elsewhere in the city. My word of advice to anyone is if you intend to put any item on layaway keep your receipts and dont wait too long to finish your payment plan because they are disorganized and indifferent here. If you find a piece you absolutely love look for rips, flaws in the lining and other issues so you can renegotiate the price. She purchases everything from estate sales then she marks the price up so look out for your own interests here. I wish to also add one more piece of information. When you take time to browse you may end up finding objects that are unlabeled so Charlotte will give you a price depending upon her own discernment so if she isnt present physically in the store you may need to wait around longer than you originally intended. I dont think its a good store policy for any private business owner not to clearly label items with a price. You might definitely find something you love here but be prepared to find out it may not be labeled with a price. I stopped coming here once my coat fell apart on me. Im actually going to end up spending extra money now hiring a tailer to make repairs. I now purchase vintage items on ebay or etsy because the sellers back up their merchandise. I also found better antique shops in the Wicker park area so there is no compelling need for me to visit Lost Eras but they do have costumes for rent. You may wish to take photographs of the costume you rent to prove that you didnt damage the piece before returning it here if you dont wish to incur additional cleaning fees. I was also contacted by the owners daughter in law after writing this review and I didnt appreciate her insinuations that these events didnt happen to me. They did misplace an item I had on hold and most definitely misplaced my receipt for what I had already paid for but it was resolved after 40 minutes was spent looking for the tiny coat which was stressful. There are objects here without pricing and I had made it well known how badly I needed a studio to rent. I left with a bad taste in my mouth and no longer encourage people to come here. I cant recommend any store that treats customers this way.

Charlotte is the best. I had a pair of platform shoes and got a great deal on a trade for some glassware.I have also rented a few costumes and the selection is nice.Friendly business in the neighborhood.

Kind of expensive. Especially the random vintage but it is a great place to get a costume but just be careful. Examine the hell out of it before you leave.

Place is awesome, so many interesting things to find and a great selection of costumes for any occasion. Highly recommend going to Lost Eras and exploring!

Very much a hoarders home with a cash register... And thats a compliment. Friendly staff and reasonable prices.

One can find anything here! Different costumes, vintage shoes/dresses/tools/furniture/knickknacks/appliances you can buy or rent for your event. The staff is super friendly too.

This is a really fun place to visit. Very eclectic stuff, wide variety.

Its a great hidden gem. come here with lots of time to do some sifting. so many great things to see and buy!

Thank you for being the most awesome customers that we could ever hope to hang out with, Luv You!

Great place with all what you possibly looking for and more!

Incredible amount of stock! Fair prices.

This would be a great store if was not for the fact that it looks like nothing has been cleaned in years. They have a few nice antiques but everything else looks like it came right out of an alley. There is a costume shop in the store that is awful. Again nothing seems clean. You can smell the BO coming off the unwashed clothes, and everything in the basement is covered in mold. The worst part about this store is the employees. The manager and maybe owner is a middle age blonde woman that does nothing but yell and scream at costumers that want to haggle or ask about a price. (Another thing is almost nothing in the store is priced.) Not to mention she looks like shes on some type of pills. The other employees look like harden criminals, one of which has a tear drop tattoo on his face.The thing that got me the most, and made me leave the store, was that in the 30 minutes I looked around at least 4 homeless people came in with items to sell. Things that looked like they came right out of a dumpster. She bought everything that came in for a few dollars, slapped a price tag on them, and put them out on the floor with out even whipping them down for good measure. I was interested in one of the items brought in but it had days of dried nastiness all over it. This is the only store in the Chicago area that will make you need to take a shower after you shop.

Awesome store, price point can be a little high for what they are.

Items are a little over priced. But can find interesting things.

Amazing collection, reasonable rental rates, perfect for elaborate Costumes and Theater productions.

A great place for great items at a decent price

Its an experience worth having...

Hidden treasures around every corner!! And they rent everything

Awesome finds, treasure trove of stuff.

The owner cannot get one more thing in her store. Wow what an adventure.

Lots of hidden gems come prepared to spend a few hours diggin thru every thing

Place has cool stuff, but its very disorganized and dusty, and the staff is somewhat unapproachable. Its alright.

Great place for costumes, antiques and old stuff!!

Best place to root around before Halloween - from fake eyeballs to latex makeup for effects- a Rogers Park institution!

Creepy basement.... and the lady is giving the prices depends of her mood. Sometimes you can find some discounted clothing and things outside the store. The area is dangerous, drugs and thiefs are approaching: got a change?

Year round fun!!!

You have to wait for the owner to decide a price(and the stuff is overpriced...way overpriced), they also keep pressuring you to buy stuff and conceal problems with the clothing ...and u cant return anything...u can find a real treasure but sometimes its hard to tell if its worth it

Everys thing in there