Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


    October 28, 2011

Halloween Brings Influx of Costomers to Washington DC Costume Shop

   Luis Velarde | Washington
   Photo: L. Velarde, VOA
   Scene outside the Backstage costume shop in Washington, DC

   Millions of Americans will dress up in costumes for Halloween on Monday
   October 31. Children in costumes traditionally go trick-or-treating -
   walking house to house in their neighborhoods to be given candy on
   Halloween, and many adults use the day as an excuse for costume
   parties.

   One popular store selling Halloween constumes is Washington, DC's
   Backstage Costume Shop.

   'I don't care how much I spent. The look is all I care about,' says
   longtime customer, Coretta Brown. 'This is my favorite store; I've used
   this store for years. And they pretty much have a variety of anything
   and everything.'
   One of the popular costumes this season has been curly wigs of Libyan
   dictator Moammar Gadhafi. And while the profit on the wigs is low,
   because of the high cost of last-minute production and overnight
   shipping, customers get what they're looking for.
   'We always have to be on the tip of whatever we do ... my costumers are
   repeat customers. Sometimes I only see them once a year. I've been
   doing this for over 20 years and I see the same faces every year.
   That's what makes me happy, a repeat customer,' says Backstage's owner
   Sandy Duraes.
   Backstage makes one third of its yearly income during Halloween season
   in October, so competitive prices, variety of products and 'good'
   customer service are essential.
   Most Backstage customer spend $40 to $60 on Halloween costumes without
   professional makeup. Prices vary and can range from $1.99 a pair of
   retractable fangs, to $9.99 a Gaddafi wig, $20.50 a 'dictator' tunic
   and up to $30 for a gallon of fake blood.
   The shop's staff quadruples to 16 to cope with the busy season. They
   also help sew, rent and fix costumes for other holidays - such as New
   Year's Eve, Easter, Mardi Gras, and masquerade parties. Reports say
   nearly 40 percent of Americans begin holiday shopping before Halloween.
   Clark Cummings had planned to shop around from a variety of stores in
   the D.C. metro area, but says word of mouth redirected his search here
   to Backstage.
   'I'm going to spend probably what I spent last year, 60 to 80 bucks.
   People tend to spend a little less money than I do, but money is tight
   and you don't want to spend too much on Halloween stuff, that's kind of
   inconsequential,' he says.
   Duraes says she knows the recipe for a successful business in a tough
   economy and why eight similar stores have gone bankrupt in recent years
   in the Washington area.
   'They don't know what they're doing. I know what to do. They think
   they're going to get all this cheap [merchandise]. But people still
   want to look good; they want to get one good piece. We sell more of our
   expensive wigs than our programmed-to-be-trashy costume wigs because
   they look good in them.'
   A survey conducted by BIGresearch forecasts growth of 2.8 percent in
   retail sales during November and December, with the average person
   spending more than $130 on themselves this holiday season. Discount
   stores remain the most visited, while department stores will also see a
   boost in their numbers.
   Nearly 63 percent of Americans say the weak U.S. economy will affect
   their holiday spending and to compensate, consumers will compare prices
   from different stores, the report says. But, as Duraes found with
   Gadhahi wigs - having the right product at the right time can bring in
   customers.