Performance Studios: New owners honor the tradition, plan for the future

By Kathleen Furore, NCA Editor

            In January 2019, Ryan and TK Kelly became the proud owners of Performance Studios—the business that Glenn Alexander and former NCA president Gary Broadrick opened as a professional-grade makeup store on Church Street in downtown Nashville in 1989. The two built the company into Tennessee’s longest-running professional costume shop and rental store before hanging up their costuming hats a little over a year ago.

            “The store meant a lot to me,” TK explains. “And when Gary and Glenn announced they were retiring, I wanted to ensure the business continued in order to keep providing to our theatre and performing arts communities.”

            Moving the shop from its home on Thompson Lane in Nashville to Mount View Road in Antioch was one of the first tasks the couple had to tackle. The reason: Alexander and Broadrick, who had purchased the property in 2009 and moved in in 2010, sold the building in October 2018.

            Here, TK explains how she and Ryan decided to take over a beloved costuming instutition and what they have planned for the years ahead.

The Costumer: Do you have a background in costuming? And is that why you decided to buy the business?

TK: I grew up performing in theatre and state talent competitions from the age of 7. I went on to major in theatre in college and obtain my cosmetology license. My favorite part of college was being the assistant manager of the costume shop for UTC in Chattanooga. We moved to Nashville specifically to work at Performance Studios because I wanted to pursue a career in costuming.

The Costumer: What changes have you made since taking over the business?

TK: We did have to move locations due to the sale of our building. We shifted our hours of operation to 12 (noon) to 8 p.m. during the week in order to cater to customers who work until 5:30 and we added extra hours on Saturdays to give people more opportunity to shop here. We have brought in new product lines centered on cosplay to attract a new audience, as well as hosting events at our store to build community involvement.

The Costumer: Did you change the way products in the store are organized?

TK: Glenn and Gary always had it organized by sections, but we've made an effort to label them more and to make it more accessible to customers without assistance.

The Costumer: Do you have any interesting plans for the business that you'd like to share?

TK: We do plan to start offering classes in the store, as well as running booths at our local cosplay conventions to help promote our store.