Move over, kiddies. More adults
are getting into the spirit, making Halloween
one of the biggest holidays
of the year
By Burl BurlingameStar-Bulletin
Trick or treat!
Halloween, once the exclusive domain of kids with charcoal beards and paper sacks filled with candy booty, has been steadily encroached upon by adults in the last decade or so. It may be the second most popular holiday in the United States right now, right after Christmas.
Above, Yvette La Fontaine of The Costume Closet with her favorite mask, "Pinhead." At left, Haley Murray, 2-1/2, at Party City, Waikele, in a Tinkerbell outfit with grandmother Malia Murray.
By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
"This year it was on two floors in the convention center, and had more than 1,700 vendors," said Yvette La Fontaine of The Costume Closet, a Kapahulu costumery. "The costume business is now year-round, and we've even added a web site (http://www.thecostumecloset.com). I had to close early last week just to deal with the new inventory!"
The walls of La Fontaine's shop are covered with masks, the counter is covered with fake teeth and gory latex-rubber wounds. The customers are primarily adults. It's pretty much the same at two other costumiers we visited, Party City and Kharolina Designs.
"Care for some finger food?" giggled Kharolina, holding up a bowl of rubber fingers. Kharolina, who goes by one name like many artistes, approaches the costume business as a boutique, creating more than 800 one-of-a-kind items in a funky house-business in Kaimuki.
Party City is a large, efficient costumes-to-go chain store in Waikele.
A lineup of masks at Party City. By Ken Sakamoto, Star-Bulletin
Party City boasts more than 230 complete costumes, about half of which are for kids, plus piles of Halloween paraphernalia. Products include a "Native American Boy" costume for the politically correct, a "Strip 'N' Dog" male go-go outfit for your pooch, Tongues of Fun (product label: "Contains One Soft Fake Tongue"), a mix-and-match "Professional Scar and Wound Sheet" of latex-rubber contusions and abrasions, not to mention "Hindsight," a fake bare butt for those unwilling to air their own.
"Party City has grown from one store 10 years ago to more than 160 across the country - it sort of parallels the growing interest in Halloween," said Young. "We're the only one in Hawaii, and we're only 5,000 square feet. The average Party City on the mainland is 13,000 square feet. That's a lot of Halloween stuff."
Most of the Party City costumes are displayed in pictures in a kind of gallery. Customers chose type and size, and floorwalkers with headsets radio the order to the pick-up window, and the costume is ready by the time the customer walks across the store. "Maximizes space and efficiency," said Young.
Ron Yanagi and Ann Kagawa made the long trip from Hawaii Kai to Waikele. "We're just looking for ourselves; we came last year and now we're gathering ideas," said Yanagi. "We're throwing a party, and want to look good."
"Every year, you have to out-do the year before," said Kagawa.
What's popular? "For kids, whatever the latest Disney movie is," said La Fontaine.
"That means Esmeralda, from 'Hunchback of Notre Dame,'" said Young. "The Power Ranger ZEO costumes are also doing surprisingly well."
"Yeah - the current Disney movie," said Kevin Poligratis, who was in Party City from Maili with Loreen Kawewehi to get a costume for daughter Chelsea Nichole, 5. "We wanted to get an early start this year, because if you wait too long, the right sizes may be gone."
Kids are notoriously fickle, and Party City allows returns and swaps up until Oct. 25. "After that it's just too crazy," said Young.
Teens go for the punk looks and the "really, really gory stuff," said Young.
"Star Wars is making a comeback, prosthetics are big," said La Fontaine. Her Costume Closet began as a housefront catering primarily to professional theater types, but lay interest in sophisticated Hollywood techniques has led to regular sales of base paints, latex facial appliances, spirit gum and the works. "People want something different, so they make it themselves," said La Fontaine.
Her masks include the famous Cesar line from France, which lean toward political caricature. (She adds a pencil to the Bob Dole mask.) Another trend are skulls and scary faces seeming to emerge from walls.
Above, an aisle of Halloween goods at Party City, Waikele. Below, Kharolina dons a Mardis Gras headdress at her shop.
By Craig T. Kojima, Star-Bulletin
"Halloween's just fun - all the other holidays are ABOUT something," said Kharolina.
"Adults like to relieve stress, said La Fontaine. "And every once in a while there the wife who comes in and buys a little whip just to surprise her husband."
For Halloween, adults like the traditional vampire and spooks and often come in at the last second. "I have to close at 10 p.m. Halloween night, just close the door, because people are coming in looking for costumes, even then!" said Kharolina.
At Party City, however, because it caters to younger costume-wearers, at 7 p.m. on Halloween "it's like the door closed," said Young. "Boom! The customers just stop."
Halloween this year is on Thursday, meaning that some Halloween parties will occur the following couple of days on the weekend. Parties are a growing trend for Halloween, rather than traditional trick-or-treating.
Can you get some bargains by shopping on Nov. 1? "Only in stores with temporary inventory, like the department stores, and it's the stuff that didn't sell in the first place," said Young. Since Party City sells costumes year-round, there's no percentage in close-out sales for them.
Kharolina's boutique is jammed with costumes, and many reflect her fascination with New Orleans Mardi Gras designs. "It all comes out of my not stopping playing dress-up," said Kharolina, who studied mask-making in Europe before moving to Hawaii.
Although demand peaks in October, there remains a year-round market for costumes. "School plays, board presentations, costume parties, birthday parties, public-relations events - it keeps us open," said Young. "Also, haunted houses used be be fairly rare, now everyone school has one, and they need spooky stuff to dress them up."
Because the store is located at Waikele, Party City gets a fair number of walk-in Japanese visitors, many of whom are only vaguely aware of Halloween. "They seem to appreciate the craftsmanship in the masks, though, and that's what they buy," said Young.
And when Christmas comes, "then OUR employees are able to enjoy the holidays!" said Young.
Here are some costume shops on Oahu:
Party City, 94-799 Lumiaina, Waikele, 671-3133