A Yonkers costumes and props shop has filed for bankruptcy protection citing setbacks from the Covid-19 pandemic, a writers and actors strike, and an aggressive landlord.
Beyond Costumes Inc. declared $273,240 in assets and $491,844 in liabilities, in a Chapter 11 reorganization petition filed April 1 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, White Plains.
The “bankruptcy filing was necessitated by the aggressive acts of the former landlord, which, if not addressed, will immediately affect the debtor’s ability to operate,” owner Kyuryon Zweibon states in an affidavit.
The business was incorporated in 2000 as Westchester Costumes Ltd. and changed its name to Beyond Costumes Inc. in 2002, according to state corporation records.
The business boasts on its website that it has more than 20,000 costumes for rent or purchase, including vintage designer clothing and Broadway outfits. Among its clients are professional theater companies, film producers, TV shows and high schools. The costumes and props are valued at $250,000, according to the petition.
The business is based in a warehouse on Saw Mill River Road near St. John’s Cemetery.
Zweibon blamed her problems on disruptions from the landlord-tenant dispute (c. 2017), the Covid pandemic (beginning in 2020), and the national writers and actors strike (2023).
She believes the business is on the brink of profitability, according to her affidavit, but actions by her former landlord “present an imminent threat to the debtor’s ability to continue its regular business operations.”
Beyond Costumes owes $217,440 to the U.S. Small Business Administration, $150,000 to the former landlord, $72,000 to the current landlord, and $50,000 to Chase Bank.
The business has not filed federal or state tax returns from 2022 to 2024. Zweibon said the tax returns will be filed soon, and she believes the business will not owe any taxes.
