The assemblage of stage attire consisting of nearly half-a-million items has been purchased by Costume World Inc. of Deerfield Beach, Florida, and will be moved to the company's headquarters near Fort Lauderdale, Back Stage reported. As first reported by Playbill.com, Dodgers Costumes, the theatrical costume rental concern that came into being in 1998, closed its doors for good on Feb. 25.

"Stage Holding and Dodger Theatricals have jointly determined to end their ownership of Dodger Costumes and are working to pass on the business and its inventory to another management," the two companies who own the outfit said in a statement on Feb. 28.

The shuttering was sudden and caught some renters off guard. Dodger Costumes came into existence in spring 1998, when the Dodgers and Stage Holdings, the Amsterdam-based company run by Joop van dan Ende, acquired the Eaves-Brooks Costume Company, Inc.

The Eaves Costume Company was founded in 1863 on East 12th Street, Manhattan. It went on to become the most famous costume company in America. The Eaves-Brooks Costume Company emerged in 1981 when Eaves acquired the Brooks-Van Horn Costume Company. The new conglomeration then moved to the company's current home in Long Island City.

The Dodgers organization has suffered a series of setbacks in the past year. Last October, the company cut back on its staff amid reports that the producing company, a force on Broadway for more than a decade, and Stage Holding were discussing the restructuring of their producing partnership. Additionally, the Dodgers' Broadway offerings this season, such as Dracula and Good Vibrations, have not fared well with critics.