If there ever was a time to dress to impress, now is the time.
Halloween is here once again, and while people are anticipating the holiday, some local costume owners are almost dreading it.
Philip and Stephanie Haskell, owners of Haskell’s Costume Shop, 919 Ming Ave., have just celebrated their 54th year in business.
“We’ve been located at this building for 45 years,” Stephanie Haskell said. “Some of my customers are now bringing their children for me to fit.”
A family-run business, Haskell’s houses hundreds of vintage outfits. From the bottom- most shelf to the tallest space, every nook and cranny is stuffed with wigs, hats, jackets, capes and an assortment of accessories. Deciding what to wear once you enter the building can take hours.
Haskell said this month is her busiest and she extends her hours to accommodate the rush, but it always seems the last days before the holiday are the busiest.
“No matter how much advertising I do before hand, everyone still waits until the week of Halloween,” said Haskell.
While she used to make costumes, the high prices of material and the long hours dedicated to sewing have caused Haskell to buy manufactured costumes instead.
Jennifer Keller, owner of Fantasy Frocks Costumes, 1928 17th St., said she used to sew 100 to 150 costumes a year, but has found herself dedicating more time to customers and inventory.
“I couldn’t sew anything when I first started,” said Keller. “I just wanted to start my own business out of my house.”
Both shop owners said Halloween is the most hectic time during the year but both are kept busy accommodating schools.
“Most of our costumes have been worn in high school plays and our velvet red cape adorns your Renegade every year at homecoming,” said Haskell.
They are also aware that some costumes cannot be replicated. A few years ago, both shops received a letter from the patented owners of Barney, the friendly purple dinosaur. But this letter was not so friendly.
“Basically we were told to stop renting Barney costumes or we would be fined something like $6,000 for copyright violations,” said Tom Haskell, Stephanie Haskell’s son.