This past weekend, plenty of shoppers were digging through Halloween racks and bins in town uncovering quaint and bizarre costume ideas.
Owen Parker discovered a giant inflatable green suit at the La Plata County Humane Society Thrift Shop.
“This would be the greatest $3 of my life,” he said, commenting on the price, as he bounced his arms off his new found girth.
The Humane Society Thrift Shop’s highest grossing month is always October because of Halloween and outdoor sporting good sales, thrift store director Kieth Dunning said.
The store prices costumes to move by setting prices at $3 unless otherwise marked, and that helps bring shoppers in, he said.
This year, he expects October sales to be slightly above last year, he said.
This is in line with National Retail Federation projections that spending on Halloween across the country will outpace last year’s totals. National sales could be up to $8.4 billion from $6.9 billion. The average consumer is expected to spend about $83 on the holiday.
As for costume trends, superhero and princess costumes are always some of the most popular, said Jerilyn Davis, an employee at Second Time Around, a consignment boutique.
Nationally, superhero costumes edged out princess dresses for the most popular costume for the first time in 11 years, the National Retail Federation survey found.
At Durango’s thrift stores, Saturday shoppers said they were looking for both savings and originality, rather than a trendy guise.
Anthony Green and his girlfriend, Brittainy Banwart, who build multiple costumes each year, pick a single item and build costumes around them.
For example, Green was searching for items to complete his butcher’s coat and found a 50-cent chef’s hat at the Methodist Thrift Store. Online he would have paid about $8 for a pack of hats, when he only needed one.
The couple wasn’t on a set budget, in part because they were looking for items that could be reused over the years, like a black skirt, Banwart said.
“We’re general costume collectors,” Green said.
For those who have yet to start planning a costume, Davis urges shoppers not to complicate the search. “One little prop goes a long way,” she said.
A hat or glasses, anything that is out of your character, can fit you on Halloween, she said.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
