The
The Official Publication of the National Costumers Association, Inc.
Curtains are rising on community theater—Are you ready? Meet Our New Board Members Heading Toward the Holidays
Sept/Oct 2021
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CONTENTS
12
features
6 Bring on the Board Meet the NCA’s New Board Members 6
12 Curtains are Rising on Community Theater — Are You Ready?
By Kathleen Furore
departments 11 Association News 16 Business Beat—Heading Toward the Holidays 18 Product Parade
18
20 My Favorite Costume
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N C A A D M I N I S T R AT I O N BOARD OF DIRECTORS President
Pam Markel Illusive Skull Costume Castle 1314 Morgantown Ave. Fairmont, WV 26554 info@illusiveskull.com 304-476-7927
Immediate Past President
Marion Bradley Discount Costumes 1736 Watson Blvd Warner Robins, GA 31093 balloonsnpartiesinfo@ gmail.com 478-396-1204
Vice President
Director
Courtland Hickey Chicago Costume 1120 W. Fullerton Ave. Chicago, IL 60614 courtland@chicagocostume. com 773-528-1264
Director
Dwayne Ibsen Ibsen Costume Gallery 4981 Hamilton St. Omaha, NE 68132 402-556-1400 Fax 402-556-5727 ibsencostumes@ gmail.com
Buyer Member Benefits: Courtland Hickey, Chicago Costume Vendor Benefits: Terry Sinopoli, Arlene’s Costumes Membership Recruitment: Brandon Lilly, The Life of the Party Revenue: Louella Torrence, retired Publications and Publicity: Janine Caufield, Caufield’s Nominations and Awards: Marion Bradley, Discount Costume Bereavement, Disaster and Grievance: Janine Caufield, Caufield’s Policy & Procedures: Gene Flaherty, Mehron History: Dwayne Ibsen, Ibsen Costume Gallery and Louella Torrence, retired
Director
Janine Caufield Caufield’s 1006 West Main St. Louisville, KY 40202 Janine@caufields.com 502-727-5682
Treasurer
Louella Torrence Drop Me a Line Costume Shop 3600 Catherine Ave. Allentown, PA 18103 dropmealine@rcn.com 610-360-5498
Director
Brandon Lilly The Life of the Party 4025 S. Mason St., Ste B. Fort Collins, CO 80525 brandon.lilly@goodsforgeeks. com 970-414-0857
Director
Terry Sinopoli Arlene’s Costumes 1156 Culver Rd. Rochester, NY 14609 terry@arlenescostumes.com 585-662-9942
Gene Flaharty Mehron 100 Red Schoolhouse Road Chestnut Ridge, NY 10977 845-426-1700 Fax 845-426-1515 gflaharty@mehron.com
Order Your Help Halloween Happen Materials Today!
Like the NCA on Facebook! Go to www.costumers.org and look for the Facebook link at the bottom of the page! SEP T/OCT 2021
2021 STANDING COMMITTEE CHAIRS
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The 2021 Help Halloween Happen Campaign, generously sponsored by Ellie Shoes and Zagone Studios, provides free Halloween stickers to give away to your costumers and free poster design and printing.
Details at www.costumers.org/nca-members-get-your-free-halloween-stickers/
PRESIDENT ’S LETTER Presidential greetings from West Virginia, I am so honored to be your new president. I have been an NCA member for 23 years. What a wonderful experience it has been. I am grateful for all the friends I’ve made, the knowledge gleaned and the endless number of mentors that have guided me to become a successful businesswoman. As you know, the National Costumers Association has a long, rich history, filled with amazing people who have paved the way for all of us today. We have their creative legacy to lean on and to guide us. Our retired members are a great source for advice and guidance. Coming full circle to the present, we have an awesome Board of Directors committed to moving the NCA forward. Our primary goal is to provide you, as a member, with continuing support, education relevant to your business, and opportunities to help you improve your business with the newest ideas about our industry. In the next few weeks and months, you should see new social media ideas that will draw attention to all of the brick-and-mortar store owners in our membership. Please read them and share the posts to your own Facebook pages. Plans are also being executed for Zoom seminars to help you implement new ideas for a profitable Halloween and Christmas season. It is going to be an exciting year, although one with a lot of unknowns. Our previous board members, Linda Adams-Foat, Lorie Hammes and Tyler Vogt will be greatly missed. Words cannot express how much we appreciated their effort to help the NCA move forward with dedication, amazing creative ideas, and hard work. We will all miss you. Friends, it is going to be an exciting holiday season with a lot of uncertainty. Owning a business can be a challenge in a good economy, but during the last year and half you have had to reexamine and reinvent yourself and your business to stay profitable. I was at my local mall a few months ago and there was a sign in a store window. It read: “HERE’S YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE. REINVENT RETAIL” This is what we all need to do in order to compete in the challenging world of retail. We need to “REINVENT” ourselves and our stores. Rearrange the inventory on your walls, make attractive displays and window dressings, and engage in crazy contests with your customers. Lastly, do not forget to post, post and post again on social media what your store is doing. I am excited for all the new ideas that are coming, and I am looking forward to working alongside each of you towards a brighter, more profitable future for you and the National Costumers Association. Respectfully, Pam Markel, President National Costumers Association Illusive Skull Costume Castle, Fairmount, West Virginia SEP T/OCT 2021
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NCA National Headquarters Ed Avis Executive Director P.O. Box 13347 Chicago, IL 60613 708-218-7755 pub@costumers.org
The Costumer Publications Office Ed Avis Associates P.O. Box 13347 Chicago, IL 60613 708-218-7755 pub@costumers.org Ad Sales Ed Avis 708-218-7755 pub@costumers.org Editorial Inquiries Kathleen Furore 708-267-0023 kfurore@yahoo.com Art Director Michelle Crisanti michelle@mc2chicago.com ©2021, National Costumers Association. The Costumer is published by the National Costumers Association, Inc., with headquarters located at the above address, a nonprofit and incorporated association of costumers located in the United States, Australia, Bahamas, Canada, India, Ireland, Mexico, and Great Britain. No responsibility is assumed for the opinions expressed or claims made by the authors of articles or by advertisers. Appearance in the magazine does not constitute endorsement by the National Costumers Association, nor its officers or representatives.
www.costumers.org
BRI NG ON T H E BOARD Meet the NCA’s New Board Members Publisher’s Note: Courtland Hickey, Brandon Lilly and Terry Sinopoli all were elected to the National Costumers Association Board of Directors during the 2021 NCA Business Meeting. Here, The Costumer presents profiles of these new Board Members, who share the stories of their businesses and their hopes for the NCA. Profiles excerpted from stories appearing at costumers.org.
Courtland Hickey, Owner, Chicago Costume, Chicago Courtland Hickey grew up surrounded by costumes. Hickey’s mom, Mary, was a costume designer for New York Costume Company while attending the Goodman Theatre school in Chicago until she opened Chicago Costume in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood in 1976. SEP T/OCT 2021
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“I loved working here as a high school student,” Hickey says. “We also had a restaurant, an Italian beef stand, but that was so much more work than the costume business! When Hickey graduated from high school in 1999, he went to work in the family business. Today, he runs the business and
lives upstairs with his wife and three daughters. “I remember being a kid and making a mess playing with all the stuff in the store, which is ironically what my kids do now,” he says. Growing the Business Chicago Costume has grown since Hickey took over. The original location has about 2,500 square feet of retail space and 1,000 square feet to accommodate rentals. As the business grew in the 1990s, the business needed more space. “We leased space for a while, and then during the Recession we were able to buy a facility,” Hickey explains. Hickey uses that new, 30,000-sq. ft. location (about five miles from the original store) as a second retail location, for costume and mascot production, and for warehousing and preparing online orders. He also leases some space to other businesses. The COVID Connection Like many costume businesses, Chicago Costumes online business jumped during COVID. “We had been selling online since 1999 but it was never a big part of the business…the shutdown allowed me to focus on internet sales,” Hickey says. During COVID, Hickey updated the business’ website and dove into online marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. Now internet sales are an important component of the business, much of it through third-party sites. The pandemic had another positive impact, too. “Prior to COVID customers were always price sensitive, but
now they seem to accept a higher price for the products because they know inflation is high across the board and availability is limited,” he says. “This is a little bubble for the costume business.” As the pandemic eases in fits and starts, sales at Chicago Costume’s stores have picked up, thanks in large part to students returning to DePaul University’s campus across the street from the Lincoln Park store. “There are 20,000 students…we wouldn’t be here without them,” Hickey says. The university theater department also is a customer, Hickey says. They make their own costumes, but they depend on Chicago Costume for props and make-up. Tapping into live events is another revenue stream Hickey expects to grow post-COVID. Hickey has opened pop-ups at corporate events, parades, comic-cons and pride events, and he’s happy those opportunities are resuming. “We did Pride in the Park in Grant Park in June. It rained and people were rolling in the mud, but from a sales standpoint it was a success. A lot of those types of events are great because it’s a way for us to connect with customers.” Hopes for the NCA Hickey wants to help the NCA become more relevant to members and help members solve problems. “I’d like the NCA to transform into more of an advocacy organization for this business,” he says. “I’m eager to share more and learn more from other people about how we solve problems. I’m a second-generation owner, and I hope someday my kids want to take over the store.”
Terry Sinopoli, Marketing and customer service manager, ARlene’s Costumes, Rochester, New York
When you talk to Terry Sinopoli about her work at Arlene’s Costumes in Rochester, New York, you quickly realize one thing: Everything she does is connected to family. Family Connection #1: Terry is among the fourth generation of family owners; the company was founded by her great grandmother, Mildred “Molly” Stephens, and Molly’s daughter Arlene, in 1956. “They started it as The Next to New Shop, which was a daring thing for that time: a consignment, vintage clothing store,” Terry says. “They started the shop because my great grandfather had passed away and they needed to make money. They knew how to sew and made some costumes. Then they started making more costumes because people came in saying, ‘My kid is in a play’ or ‘I’m this this community theater’ and that part of the business grew.” c os t u m e r s . o r g
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Family Connection #2: In 1975, the store – by then called Arlene’s Costumes – moved to a four-bedroom colonial house. Retail sales happened on the first floor; Molly and Arlene lived upstairs. Terry works in the house, which is the business’ administrative office. Molly still lives upstairs with her sister Donna, Terry’s grandmother. “My earliest memory is running around behind the counter,” Terry says. “I would hear someone say, ‘I need this or that…’ and I would go get it. Arlene will tell you that her fondest memory is of me as a baby sitting by the front counter…Some college kid came up the counter to pay for something and said, ‘What’s that?’ Arlene said, ‘It’s a baby! Can’t you see the bow in her hair?’” Terry worked part time in the store in high school and college. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and masters in public administration, she interned for a local congresswoman, worked for a New York state assemblyman, and eventually worked for the state Department of Health. Those jobs took her to Washington D.C. for one year and to Albany for several years. Family Connection #3: “I realized I really liked being home and I missed my family,” she says. “So I moved home and went into retail management and training.” Terry had a daughter in 2007 and a son in 2010. By the time her son was three, she realized he was not speaking as well as his peers. Doctors eventually diagnosed autism but getting to that point required time off from work. “My employer at the time didn’t like that,” she remembers.
“So, I came here to the house and cried my eyes out. But it was a good thing because within an hour I had a new job here! And not just a job, but something I really loved doing.” Terry started working at Arlene’s full time in 2014. By then the store had moved to a new location 2.5 miles away, but the offices were still in the family home. She updated the store’s website and social media accounts, and in 2016 starting selling Arlene’s products on Amazon. Today 3,500 to 4,000 SKUs are listed on the platform. She’s also added ebay and Walmart.com. Online purchases now comprise 85 percent of total retail sales. But Terry, now Arlene’s marketing and customer service manager, does not just work behind the desk. She does airbrush face painting and temporary tattoos, which have become important revenue sources. Face painting clients include the Buffalo Bills, local colleges and corporations. Arlene’s also sets up booths at festivals and private parties. “We started painting for the Buffalo Bills four years ago. We’re at the field four hours before every home game and we’ll paint hundreds of fans,” she says, adding that the Bills pay Arlene’s a flat fee for the service; fans get the face painting done for free. Family Connection #4: Terry’s 14-year-old daughter now paints faces beside her mom. She and her cousins represent the fifth generation of Arlene’s Costumes. “I think the store will continue in the family for a very long time,” Terry says. “We’ve been around for 65 years, and I think the next 65 years will be a blast.”
Brandon Lilly, Owner, The Life of the Party, Fort Collins, Colorado
Brandon Lilly, owner of The Life of the Party, spoke with Publisher Ed Avis about the business he runs with his wife, Marcia Lilly, in Fort Collins, Colorado. NCA: What’s the history of the shop?
Lilly: It has existed for 40 years, but even before that, the husband of the owner had a business called the Toy Dungeon. At some point they transitioned to party supplies and morphed into Life of the Party. Over the years the owner, Pat Talley, brought in Halloween items, costumes, wigs and makeup, and the store became what it is now. By 2013 the rents in Old Town Fort Collins were incredibly expensive and Pat wanted to retire, so she sold the store to Chris and Katie Corman, who had been in the haunt world for 20+ years. They doubled down on the Halloween aspects of the store, moved it outside of Old Town and brought in more Halloween costumes, high-end masks, etc. SEP T/OCT 2021
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NCA: How did you come to own the business?
Lilly: In 2018, Chris and Katie decided to focus their energy on their escape room business upstairs from the store. They asked on Facebook if anyone was interested in buying the store. I had been a customer since 2013 and had been thinking about the next steps for my career and my family. My wife and I are cosplayers, and we had thought about starting an online store serving that community. When I read the Facebook post I was curious. I went in for a meeting that day and walked out thinking to myself, “I bet I could convince a bank to give us a loan for this business.” I went home and told my wife, who was four months pregnant, that I thought we should buy the business and that I was going to keep my regular full-time job. To her credit she said, “That sounds like a great idea.” We took over in July 2018.
NCA: What does the future hold for the store? Lilly: My next project is launching costume rentals nationwide. Our aim is to serve the average Joe who just wants to rent a costume for a day or two and return it, and the professional Santa. There are a lot of other larger organizations that rent costumes, and they can have the theater groups and schools. We’ll take care of the little guy. NCA: You also own Goods for Geeks, a new NCA Vendor Member. Tell me about that.
NCA: What’s your regular job? Lilly: I’m senior brand director & digital marketing strategist for Madwire, a tech company that provides business management software solutions and marketing services for small and medium businesses. That experience is one of the reasons our doors are still open after the pandemic. I spent 2019 building v1 of the website, and by January 2020 I think we had 50 percent of our products online. So, when we had to close the store that March, the website paid our rent. Now we have over 90 percent of our products online and available nationwide.
Lilly: Goods for Geeks is the North American distributor for Cosplayflex, a heat-formed thermoplastic for cosplayers that’s similar to Worbla. [Former owner] Chris was looking for an alternative to Worbla and learned of Cosplayflex, which is also made in Germany. He called them, and the owner said he didn’t normally ship to the U.S., but if Chris wanted to become a distributor, he would get all the orders from North America. When I purchased the company, I made sure that letter of distribution was part of it. Now I’ve created a website called cosplayflex.us and am making it known that we have this product. (See more information about Cosplayflex on page 18 of this issue.)
NCA: Your website shows that you also carry makeup, wigs |and balloons. Lilly: Outside of Halloween, makeup and wigs are what keep us in business. We carry Ben Nye, Mehron and Moon Creations (Camden) makeup...We have a flourishing drag community here, and they love the Moon glitters. We carry Rockstar and Sepia (West Bay) wigs — we’re near the university, and sororities have wig parties and buy them. A lot of cosplayers and drag queens also buy wigs. Our store is an LGBTQ safe space. That’s incredibly important to our customers, and something we find really important. We want all of our customers to feel comfortable here. We also serve cancer patients, alopecia patients, and folks who want to experience a different gender identity. [Former owner] Katie started the balloons, and Marcia and I are taking that to the next level. We’re doing balloon walls, arches...We’re well known in the corporate community, and we’re trying to get in with hotels, weddings and event planners. It’s definitely becoming a bigger part of our business. c os t u m e r s . o r g
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association news Order Your Help Halloween Happen Supplies The NCA 2021 Help Halloween Happen campaign has started! This campaign, generously sponsored by Zagone Studios and Ellie Shoes, is designed to encourage Halloween events in your community, with a focus on local brick-and-mortar costume stores. The campaign includes free posters created for you to promote local Halloween events happening in your community. Each member can get 10 printed copies plus a PDF of a specially designed poster. The campaign also includes free stickers to hand out to kids shopping in your store! These shiny stickers are perfect for kids to put on their costumes as they trick-or-treat. Each NCA member is entitled to 200 free stickers. Order at www.costumers.org/ help-halloween-happen-materials-registration-form.
NCA Committees Restructured
NCA’s committees have been restructured to better handle the needs and opportunities facing the association. Among the new committees are the Buyer Member Benefits Committee, which will consider and make decisions about anything that is considered a benefit for Buyer members, such as discounts, education, and the Plot Service. Similarly, the new Vendor Benefits Committee will oversee NCA benefits for vendors, such the Buyer’s Group, the NCA Digital Catalog, and the Zoom Fashion Show. The Revenue Committee is also new; this committee will seek new sources of revenue for the association. Several of the new committees are combinations of previous committees. For example, the new Publications and Publicity committee combines the Publications Committee, the Social Media Committee and the Web Site Committee. And the Nominations & Awards Committee and the Bereavement, Disaster & Grievance Committee replace separate committees for each those functions. Some committees are unchanged, such as Policy & Procedures and Membership. One existing committee — History — has an expanded list of duties. Because the NCA will be celebrating its centennial in 2023, the History Committee is tasked with coming up with ideas for that milestone event.
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A scene from The Music Man at Pace Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Photo courtesy of Dwayne Ibsen
Debbie’s Costume Shop welcomed student actors back for a fitting in March 2021.
Curtains are Rising on Community Theater
...Are you Ready?
By Kathleen Furore
The August 7, 2021 Facebook post from Debbie’s Costume Shop in Columbus, Ohio, sums up what many in the theater community are feeling as the fall season gets underway: “One of my favorite times of the year is when theaters announce their upcoming seasons. Many of you have already reached out to me to get your shows on my calendar. If you haven’t already, contact me and let me know your shows so we can start preparing to make your costuming life stress free. I’m l oving the classics and super excited about the newer shows like SpongeBob, Descendants and Something Rotten! I’m so happy to have survived (thanks to many of you) this incredibly rough year and a half! Looking forward to working with you!!” The sentiment from Debbie Hamrick, owner of her namesake shop, comes after a brutal business stretch that started when COVID-19 struck, almost without notice. As Hamrick noted in a panel discussion during the National Costumers Association (NCA) Success Summit in March 2021, “Right before COVID, I had 30 or 40 shows out in March and they all got shut down.” With curtains rising once again, The Costumer reached out to three industry pros to find out if theater really has returned in all its glory, and if there are any permanent changes COVID wrought. Here, Marty Boyer, president of Theatre House in Covington, Kentucky; Dwayne Ibsen, owner of Ibsen Costume Gallery in Omaha, Nebraska; and Bonnie Johnsen, owner of The Costumer in Schenectady, New York share their take on the current state of community theater. The Costumer: Theaters seem to be coming back to life even though we’re apparently still in the midst of a pandemic. What is the status of theater in your area? Are productions moving ahead full force? With limited attendance? With masks? Boyer: We’re seeing a variety of different things happening in theater across the country. First, we’re seeing theater move forward. Productions are happening. Some of the things that we are seeing range from limited attendance, mandatory vaccinations, masking, and some remote performances, too. We’ve yet to run across an entire gamut of different approaches. Masking is almost always required, however. I think Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has taken a comprehensive approach in the professional sector.
Ibsen: I am currently directing and costuming The Music Man for the new Pace Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Arts Center requires all the audience to be masked. We have been playing to full houses since it opened. It is the first show in this new center so that is part of the excitement. [The show ran for a couple of weeks and closed in mid-September.] Most theaters in the Omaha/ Kansas City/Des Moines area that we deal with have come back completely and are doing their full seasons. I’ve noticed that the productions are smaller this fall, with fewer people involved — not a lot of huge chorus musicals that we usually have. (Continuerd on page 14)
Johnsen: The Costumer is witnessing theater coming back to life…slowly and cautiously. The Costumer works with schools across the country and has noticed that states are reopening at very different paces with a variety of restrictions still in place. The Costumer has been working closely with our directors during the pandemic. Several of our customers filmed their perfor-
Johnsen: Shows continue to be performed in a variety of ways; live-streamed, filmed, performed outside, live in front of limited attendance, with masks required for audience, and live with a full house. Due to the COVID shutdowns, scholastic and community theaters are facing greatly reduced budgets. A vast majority had no revenue for the past year and now have very limited funds to spend on costuming. This has translated into smaller shows and often shows that can be pulled from their existing costume closet. The Costumer has been providing guidance and options for our directors based on their budgets.
The Music Man cast Photo courtesy of Dwayne Ibsen
mances and we staggered their costume shipments, shipping only the costumes that were needed for the specific scene that was being filmed. Other customers required their actors/actresses to wear face masks for the performances. The Costumer offered the option of custom coordinating face masks for these shows. Recent outbreaks and the Delta variant are resulting in numerous organizations waiting until the last minute to send in their theater orders. The Costumer: Have you changed the way you do costuming and makeup for theater as a result of COVID? Are you planning to keep any of the changes you had to make during the past year and a half in place once we are really through the pandemic? Boyer: The short answer is yes to it all. Let’s just explore one example: outfitting a troupe for a performance. No sharing makeup. Everyone is required to have their own kit. Sanitizing spray recommended as well. A makeup artist may be required to have individual items for every single performer. I think the ambiguity about COVID transmission helped create “new best practices.” One of those new best practice byproducts has been, anecdotally, less cold and virus transmission. Again, we’re not virologists, but it seems many of these practices, like less makeup sharing, will be here to stay. In our store, I can imagine that once COVID is behind us, we’ll continue to wear masks during cold and flu season. Ibsen: Covid has not affected the way we costume, nor has it changed any of the requests we get from directors. Show production continues as it always was except for the masks worn by directors when the wardrobe is picked up. SEP T/OCT 2021
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Photo courtesy of Theatre House
The Costumer: What are some of the biggest challenges overall — not necessarily related to COVID — in costuming local theater productions? Boyer: Stock. It’s COVID-related at the end of the day, but it is the most important thing to communicate. Inventory isn’t available and it applies to many, many categories. Examples worth mentioning: Buckram (hat forms) — the more complex ones aren’t easy to find or purchase as the art of their creation isn’t widely done any longer. Buckram 110, heavyweight, is also another fabric that is no longer produced. One of the matriarchs of the industry retired. Certain types of scenic paint are on back order for months. We have a rich array of fabrics, but I can tell you that many vendors, especially in specialty fabrics, closed down. Many costume producers closed as well last year. Certain items, like Styrofoam skimmer hats, won’t be back until next year — a simple and rather inexpensive item, but widely used. The supply chain has another year to catch up and the result is a lot of “making it work” this year. Plan ahead. Be ready for change. Ibsen: The problems I find in costuming community theater are varied. First, our main problem is accurate measuring. Frequently, theaters will just have anyone available measure the cast. Sometimes we get sizes that the actor wants to be by opening, which never happens. Sometimes the person measuring doesn’t understand how to use the tape measure and how important accuracy is. We spend a lot of time communicating odd measure-
ments and correcting them. Also, we spend a lot of time educating community theatre actors on how to wear and treat rented costumes and wigs. We try to supply as much information as possible, but still a first-time performer will drag the costume across the stage or tear the wig from their head, even though it took a half hour to style. Other than that, we love working with creative community theater directors and performers. The Costumer: Do you have any tips for costume shops that don’t currently work with theater groups? How can they get started? What should they do and what should they avoid? What do you want them to know? Boyer: We suggest they get really comfortable with paperwork. We’re in professional, amateur, college and K-12 organizations throughout the country. The one thing that we’ve done well is make it easy to do business with us. We have digital vendor packets, W9s, certificates of insurance and a pretty complete website. We fill out paperwork for purchasing customers every day. We also set up terms, net 30, for many customers. The truth is that while we believe our first customer is the maker and/or artist, in many cases the first customer is the purchasing department. You often have to be a registered vendor and becoming proficient in that is a true art. If you want to get started in that area, find a pretty complete vendor packet and begin to assemble your own. The truth is that
most of the data is the same between companies and organizations, but you have to fill out their version of it. You can’t simply email or just send your vendor packet. You have to be able to fill out their version of the paperwork. Assembling your own packet will dramatically reduce the time required on your side to fill out the packet. And avoid getting annoyed by the process. There’s nothing worse than having your pretty vendor packet ready to go and [then find out] you have to simply fill out their version of it. Ibsen: Have a theater background so you are versed in many shows and their requirements. Collect the photo programs that are sold at Broadway performances, so you have a reference. Use the NCA Plot Service [available on the NCA member portal at costumers.org] so you have an idea of what is required...and finally love what you do! Johnsen: It is always wonderful to work with local community theater groups. Community theater programs cast a wide range of ages, which translates into a wide range of costume sizes and often multi-week rentals. Our retail store stocks a full line of theatrical makeup, wigs, props, and accessories. Local directors and actors often come by and to try out makeup products, ask for advice and shop for accessories. Kathleen Furore is the editor of The Costumer.
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B usiness B eat Holidays Ahead! Making the most of post-Halloween sales By Kathleen Furore
There’s even With the one Santa-themed snap of your item that is a fingers — like a bit of a twist on bit of Halloween tradition. “Grinch magic — costumcostumes have ers’ favorite holialso been popular,” day will be in the Berocay adds. rearview mirror, with Christmas, Hannukah and The Kwanzaa apSweater proaching quickly Connecahead. How are tion you preparing for Holiday post-Halloween sweaters have sales? When does been warming up your store start holidays for years, promoting the and Costumes holidays?” Plus has cozied up Lucia Beroto the trend. “We’ve carried cay, store manager holiday sweaters at Costumes Plus for quite a while, in Minneapolis, probably for the Minnesota, is Photo courtesy of Costumes Plus last 10 years I quick to answer: “Right after Halloween! One of the first things we do after our would guess,” Berocay says. “We started carrying them as soon as ‘Ugly Christmas Sweaters’ became a trend, and they are still Halloween rush ends is set up a big Christmas section right in somewhat popular today. We get our holiday sweaters from the front of the store.” Forum Novelties. They make a great attraction and people get a kick out of them.” Santas Ring Up Sales And the sweater collection isn’t limited to Christmas Santa suits, of course, are big sellers at Costumes Plus. “We have a large selection of Santa suits and elf costumes. themes; Costumes Plus sells Hanukkah sweaters, too. Santa suits, Mrs. Claus, and elves are our best sellers,” Berocay reports. “We have Santa suits at every price point so we Beyond Santas and Sweaters can meet the budget of someone playing Santa for a family While Santas and sweaters are best-sellers, Costumes Plus gathering or pub crawl as well as professional Santas. We actu- highlights other items, too. ally sold more Santa suits than ever during the 2020 holiday “Nativity costumes sell pretty well. Local churches that season. I think everyone had been stuck at home and just put on Christmas plays get a lot of their costumes from us,” wanted to find new ways to make the holidays special for their Berocay says. “And we do have a wide variety of gifts, from families.” Halloween/horror fan collectibles to metaphysical items like SEP T/OCT 2021
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crystals, incense, candles, and Tarot Cards. Our crystals, and especially our crystal and gemstone jewelry, are probably our most popular gifts.” Everyone hopes for a more “normal” holiday season. But with the pandemic lingering, it is hard to predict what lies ahead. Berocay has a prediction: “I think that even with things opening up again, I wouldn’t be surprised if families are still doing more at home,” she says. “I think offering a wide range of price points and quality with Santa Suits is always something customers appreciate.” Kathleen Furore is the editor of The Costumer.
Tapping Holiday Traditions to Boost Seasonal Sales School Holiday Shows. While many schools are moving away from overtly religious shows, they’re still holding events that include singing, dancing and other performances — often integrating Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa themes. Ask schools how you can help costume and accessorize their events. Church Nativity Displays. Mary and Joseph, shepherds and wisemen are the obvious costumes to carry — but don’t forget the sheep, donkey and cow costumes for kids, too Caroling Costumes. Church/community/ volunteer groups, school classes, families and groups of friends often organize caroling outings. Tap local contacts to offer specials on group rentals of caroling costumes. Don’t Forget the Pets. Pet parents love to dress their furry family members for the holidays! Make sure they can find what they want in your store.
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SEP T/OCT 2021
P roduct parade Trick Or Treat Studios. Halloween sales are in the bag with this Sam O Lantern Bag that’s based on the design of Sam’s Jack O Lantern in Trick ‘r Treat and
designed by renowned purse designer Kenny R Avila — famous in the horror community for his company Love,
Pain and Stitches. And don’t forget to grow sales by add-
ing ornaments for Halloween trees! The Holiday Horrors Halloween (1978) Michael Myers sculpted ornament is one great option to inventory!
trickortreatstudios.com
elope. This new, mighty
Silver Knight Plush Helmet Cosplayflex. Known for its unique modeling and sculpting properties, this popular, non-toxic thermoplastic material lets creators implement creative ideas in a short time. And it’s easy to handle, so it doesn’t matter if you or your customer is a beginning cosplayer, propmaker or costume maker or have been building all your life. Cosplayflex can be painted and lacquered without primer and reactivated by heat any time. cosplayflex.us
(251406) is shiny and comfortable to wear — and it
comes at a great price point, too. elope.com
Dress Up America. With space flight
in the news, now is the perfect time to add
this Rocket Ship Costume (#1074) to your
line of kids’ costumes. The space shuttle
slip-on tunic has arm holes and a face cut
out. Available in 2 sizes – Toddler 4/Small and Medium/Large.
dressupamerica.com
SEP T/OCT 2021
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c os t u m e r s . o r g
P roduct parade Sunnywood. It’s not too early to start thinking Christmas! The
Country Christmas Hat (3648) is a pre-shaped cowboy hat/Santa
hat combo made with plush faux white fur and a deep red velour. It’s
priced right and makes a perfect impulse to place near your checkout registers. The unisex Elf Costume (4324) — perfect for Santa’s little helpers — comes with a comfortable tunic plus a matching collar with bells, hat and shoes! One size fits most. sunnywood.net
NCA Marketplace Advertising in the NCA Marketplace is $35 per issue (10%
discount for NCA members). You will be billed upon publication; payment is due upon receipt. For full details, see the
Kalan.
advertising contract available at www.costumers.org. Contact
Not a fan of
Ed Avis at 708-218-7755 or pub@costumers.org.
costumes?
Kalan has your non-costume
customers covered! The Purrfection Beamerzzz (3136FS) is a patented plush and flashlight in
one —
perfect for
trick or treating or
power outages with the kids.
And the Nail Through Finger Gag Item (GIDG023)
makes a perfect addition
to a gory costume or the perfect prank anytime. kalanlp.com
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SEP T/OCT 2021
My Favorite Costume Greg Manger Costume Specialists Columbus, Ohio CostumeSpecialists.com
Established in 1983, Costume
Specialists in Columbus, Ohio, is the only
custom mascot character production com-
year they wanted to redesign
it,” Manger says. “We did the
original and we were able to
pany that manufactures both foam and
touch it again and bring it
inflatable costumes. The company makes
up to date with what we
many of the familiar icons and friends
do now as far as quality
your customers have seen in movies, tel-
and a new look.”
evision shows, amusement parks, chain
The new and
restaurants, children’s books, safety
improved
education events and more.
Boots wears
“We’ve made thousands and
a work-
thousands of mascots,” company
ing visor and
president and CEO Greg
clothing inspired
Manger says.
Some of the company’s recog-
nizable mascots include The Kool-
Aid Man, The Michelin Man, Curious George, and Paddington Bear.
The company also offers an extensive
range of services like mascot manage-
ment and a mascot spa to ensure mascots
are well taken care of long after the design is complete.
by the real equipment
While he and his team have designed
more mascots than he can count, one of his
favorites is Boots the Fire Mouse — a mascot Costume Specialists made for The Fire Mu-
used by fire fighters.
“The museum uses it for
teaching purposes,” Manger
notes.
While the pandemic has
brought challenges,
Manger is confident
about the future of the company that’s been leading the way in
mascot production for almost four decades. “We are proud to
seum in Columbus.
have survived the
international clients, but this was special
and our future is bright
“We’ve done a lot for national and
because it was for a local business,” Manger explains.
And there’s more to the
“Early on — we’re not
bounce back,” Manger
What is your favorite costume? To be
considered for an upcoming My Favorite
sure how early — we made the
original costume for The Fire Museum, and last
20
as we continue to concludes.
Boots the Fire Mouse story.
SEP T/OCT 2021
COVID-19 pandemic
c os t u m e r s . o r g
Costume profile, email Editor Kathleen Furore
at kfurore@yahoo.com.
