Special Occasions

Challenges Today (From page 111) merchandise. “We have some leftovers but we’ll be buying new stuff too, possibly even more of it than we normally would.” In Rehoboth Beach – a town that knows how to kick up its heels – the thinking is a lot of people are going to go all out when they can finally celebrate.

The good news is Drop Me A Line Costume Shop in Allentown, Pa., had a busy Halloween season. The bad news it will be their last. After 33 years in business, the venerable costume shop is closing. Owner

Louella Torrence had been making plans to retire and sell her business but then the pandemic struck. She had a viable business heading into 2020. Her profitable show season was set to start plus Easter bunny costume rentals were on the horizon. “But then we were told to close down and of course the schools did so I lost any scheduled school play business. When the Easter bunny cancellations started coming in, that’s when I thought, I can’t sell it as a business. I’d have to go another two years to make sure it was viable!”

Torrence took a different tack and decided to sell all her inventory. By summer, when Drop Me a Line Costume Shop reopened – albeit with limited hours – she started making calls and selling off all her Santa suits and Easter bunnies. When Halloween rolled around, it was a perfect opportunity to hold a clearance sale on her remaining costume inventory. “We had a good Halloween but everything was 50% off. I didn’t order anything either.” Not that shoppers were buying costumes to celebrate Halloween 2020. “No, a lot of them said they were buying for next year and the year after.” At this point, Torrence is looking for a buyer for her building which includes a 4,000-square-foot first floor, a 3,000-square-foot second floor, and a full basement. She has few regrets shuttering the business she started with her late husband Dennis back in 1980. “I had a good run. I can’t complain.”

Contrary to the experience of others, 2020 was the best Halloween ever at Discount Costumes in Warner Robins, Ga. “I have no idea how that happened,” said Jerry Bradley who co-owns the store with his wife Marion. The Bradleys also operate Balloons-NParties, a party rental business in the same community. “I guess there was a real pent-up desire to have fun in this area. Our traffic flow was great. There were customers I’d never seen before. We probably did at least 20 percent or maybe 25 percent better than the year prior.” These numbers are even more amazing considering Discount Costumes remained closed March 16 through October 6. “We didn’t even open until a week into Halloween month and still did well. Better than we ever dreamed!”

Accessories, wigs, hats, costumes – everything sold. Since trick-or-treating for kids was muted due to the pandemic, Bradley is convinced the bulk of the purchases were for adult Halloween parties. Whether or not that was a good idea is another story!

Some of Discount Costumes’ unexpected success in 2020 might have been due to the fact a pop-up Halloween store which normally sets up shop nearby did not appear on the scene. “Instead, they went to Macon, 18 miles up the road so their absence helped drive our sales,” said Bradley. As he is certain the pop-up will be back in his area in 2021, he doesn’t plan on going overboard ordering for Halloween. “What we’ve been doing to fill voids and also to bolster some of our inventory is talking to some of the people who are going out of business. We’ve been buying from them and replenishing our stock.” ❖