This Halloween, expect to see more homemade costumes appearing on your doorstep as you pass out candy to trick-or-treaters, including Fort Collins' own "balloon boy."
With the ongoing recession, families are getting more creative when it comes to costumes. They're either making their own or recycling old ones.
According to the National Retail Federation's 2009 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, rather than buy new costumes, 16.8 percent of Americans intend to make costumes this year.
Do-It-Yourselfers
On Tuesday afternoon, 18-year-old CSU students Ashley Grossaint, Chelsea Stewart and Emily Bayless looked through various fabrics at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts store, 2839 S. College Ave., for safari animal costumes they plan to make this Halloween.
The three women are looking for creative costumes to complement their male counterparts, who are dressing up as hunters.
The trio initially searched online and discovered the costumes were too expensive for their budgets, so they decided to take a more cost-effective route and make their own.
"We are all college students, so we look for anything to save us money," Stewart said. "We don't want to spend $80 on a costume when we are only going to wear it once, when we can make it for $10 or $12.
Across South College Avenue, 20-year-old Colorado State University student Jaime Goza checked out of the ARC Thrift Store, 106 E. Foothills Parkway, for a wig and feathers for a costume he is putting together. He said he plans to assemble his own costume this year from materials he finds at secondhand stores such as ARC, rather than investing in a ready-made costume.
"I try to save some money... that's why I come here," he said.
ARC, which has its own Halloween section full of costumes and decorations and a banner declaring it the "Best Halloween Headquarters," is doing standout sales this season, according to the store's district manager, Maria Knowlton.
Knowlton said Halloween sales are up 10 percent at the Fort Collins store this year compared with last. She notes that Halloween is like Christmas for the thrift store, which stockpiles used goods year-round for the holiday.
No comments:
Post a Comment