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Costumes, props and more: 5 odd pieces you can buy for cheap at Utah Opera’s massive garage sale

The last time the opera company sold off storage, people waited “around the block” for doors to open.

(Trent Nelson  |  The Salt Lake Tribune) Mallory Goodman with costumes set to be sold on Aug. 15 in Utah Opera's Costumes, Props, & Scenic Elements Sale, in Salt Lake City, as photographed on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mallory Goodman with costumes set to be sold on Aug. 15 in Utah Opera's Costumes, Props, & Scenic Elements Sale, in Salt Lake City, as photographed on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.

If you ever wanted to dress like Don Juan or an evil stepsister, Utah Opera has a deal for you.

The opera company is clearing out part of its massive storage space, selling costumes, props and set furniture at what costume manager Carol Wood called “garage-sale prices.”

The sale is set for Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., or while supplies last, at Utah Opera’s production studios at 336 N. 400 West, in downtown Salt Lake City.

Items are not priced individually, Wood said. Anything a shopper can fit into a 13-gallon garment bag will go for $20, while a smaller shopping bag — big enough for a pair of shoes, and maybe a blouse — will sell for $5. Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted, but not Venmo.

Shoppers should arrive early, Wood said. The crowd at Utah Opera’s previous sale, two years ago, “was like ants at a picnic.”

“We had people around the block waiting for the doors to open,” she said, “and we were astounded.”

Five of the more unusual items:

Together, Wood and Mallory Goodman, the opera’s costume rentals and collection manager, pointed out five of the more unusual items among the thousands up for sale

1. This green-and-copper wrap, with an orange faux-fur stole.

The costume piece is from a production of Rossini’s “La Cenerentola,” the Italian version of “Cinderella.” The colors, Goodman said, suggest it would have been worn by one of Cinderella’s stepsisters.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mallory Goodman holds up the wrap and stole that will available for purchase on Aug. 15.

2. This gentleman’s costume.

The ornate but somewhat faded gold-and-bronze getup, which includes a long jacket and matching breeches, is from an old production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni.” Utah Opera is staging “Don Giovanni” next March, with new costumes.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Mallory Goodman displays the gentleman's costume that will available for purchase on Aug. 15.

3. This three-tier prop wedding cake.

The prop stands more than three feet high, loaded with fake flowers and topped with a cherub figurine.

It’s been taking up space in storage for years, Wood said.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The large prop wedding cake set to be sold on Aug. 15.

4. This pile of large, prop grain sacks.

The singular set piece made up of several connected bags meant to resemble sacks of grain was probably used and reused whenever a production had a scene at the docks, Wood and Goodman said.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) A pile of large bags meant to resemble sacks of grain available for purchase on Aug. 15.

5. This hatbox (and cap inside).

The hatbox’s label reads, “Falstaff: Nanetta’s Titaniaish Headpiece.” Inside, a swirl of green vines top a white head cap, forming a shape like a top hat.

The last time Utah Opera performed “Falstaff” was 2011.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The "Falstaff" hatbox that will be up for sale on Aug. 15.

Who got first dibs?

The items up for sale are what’s left after Wood first contacted theatrical troupes and high school drama departments around the state, offering to offload costumes in bulk.

“They often have Shakespeare shows,” Goodman said, “so our medieval ‘Romeo and Juliet’ will fit in a lot with what they have going on.”

The Utah Opera’s costume department has accumulated so many outfits over the decades since it was founded in 1978 that they can’t always match each garment to the show it was used in.

“We don’t have a database with every sock,” Wood said.

Utah Opera doesn’t expect to make much money off the sale. Instead, Goodman said it is designed to foster community outreach.

Setting the event in August was strategic, Wood said, because it gives shoppers time to adapt the pieces they buy into Halloween costumes.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Items set to be sold on Aug. 15 in Utah Opera's Costumes, Props, & Scenic Elements Sale, in Salt Lake City, as photographed on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.

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