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Gillian Hogan gets some help with her beer maid outfit from her husband, Neil, at Calowna Costume on Bernard Avenue. (Photo Joe Fries)
Party time is fast approaching, and if you’re still without a costume, don’t despair – it’s not too late to seek professional help.
Kelowna’s costume shops are doing brisk business today as revelers get dudded up for a night of mischief and mayhem.
Gillian and Neil Hogan made their way down to Calowna Costume on Bernard Avenue this morning after their original idea fell through.
“We thought we’d be cave people, but we couldn’t get what we needed, so now we’re stuck,” Gillian explained.
They went to the right place.
With upwards of 3,000 costumes and nine staff members, the downtown shop had something that caught their eyes. For Gillian, it was a beer maid getup.
“It’s fun, but it covers what it should,” she said with a laugh.
Busy as she is –and extremely pregnant–the store’s manager, Kerri Brandel, is still able to enjoy the day.
“It’s insanely busy but we love it. It’s what Halloween’s about, so we look forward to it all year,” she said.
At this point, she added, people aren’t too fussy.
“Anything they can get their hands on. It is the last day, so they’re pretty open for ideas.”
And, Brandel added, “We have a ton of stock, so even if you come in at 4:30 today, we’ll find something for you.”
The store is open until 5 p.m.
It’s a similar story at The Tickle Trunk on Dilworth Drive. Owner Hal Puder said Friday broke their sales record, and today’s foot traffic is anything but ghoulish.
The Trunk sells and rents some 400 costumes. However, Puder said he has already sold out of custom-molded vampire fangs.
“With the Twilight Movie and the Vampire Diaries, there’s a lot of vampire things going on right now,” he explained.
Outside that genre, he said females are opting for sexy outfits, like naughty nurses and police officers, while guys are tending towards werewolves.
Zombies, too, are popular, and Puder said he can set someone up with the requisite liquid latex and makeup for about $25. Add in some old, torn-up clothes and it’s a reasonable expenditure.
“It’s probably the least expensive thing going.”
Of course, one has to ask what the owner of a costume shop dresses up as for Halloween, and for Puder, the answer is an evil clown outfit with a Hollywood-worthy molded latex mask.
However, when he and his wife, with whom he co-owns the shop, put the Halloween rush behind them, they feel more like the undead.
“We can really be zombies without dressing up,” he joked. “Often we leave our lights off and crawl into the house.”
joe@kelowna.com
250-575-4303
