For the first time ever, online costume and accessory store Costumeville, which warehouses its inventory on Signal Mountain, is opening to the public to give the community the opportunity to try costumes before buying. The store is also offering local pickup for customers who prefer to peruse the store's massive selection and place their orders online, said owner and Signal Mountain resident Kitty Castellanet.
The store will be open to the public Wednesday-Friday, Oct. 25-27 from 4-7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 28 and Monday, Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 29 from noon to 5 p.m.; and Tuesday, Oct. 31 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local pickup will be available Wednesday-Tuesday, Oct. 18-24 from 6-8 p.m., and Wednesday-Friday, Oct. 18-27 from 8-11 a.m.
While the store's focus is on stocking a general, wide assortment of costumes and accessories - as opposed to the latest fad costumes - Castellanet said her customers' purchases often reflect industry-wide trends. The main trends currently for adults are Day of the Dead costumes and skulls, which are quickly flying off the shelves of the Costumeville warehouse, she said.
"We're also seeing the trend continue where people want to be unique and create their own thing with accessories," said Castellanet, explaining that instead of purchasing a ready-made, packaged outfit, people are opting to build a one-of-a-kind costume using makeup, tattoos, prosthetics, wigs, inflatables and other accessories.
Men, who she said have always been drawn to the more humorous, silly costumes, have moved away from the skin-tight costumes popular in years past, now preferring inflatable costumes. Popular examples include a T-Rex, Ghostbusters and hippos, said Castellanet.
Couples' costumes continue to be a hit, she said.
"The Oreo cookie, for us, has been big," said Castellanet, adding that food-related costumes are also top-sellers. "I don't know if cupcakes themselves are still a [food] trend, but people do still want to be cupcakes."
For older kids, zombies are the thing to be, and tween girls want to be Cleopatra or Wonder Woman, though Katniss from "The Hunger Games" continues to be popular as well.
Other current trends include career based costumes, from airline pilots to astronauts, and "Game of Thrones" era styles, she said. The youngest children are typically stuck with whatever their parents think is cute.
Costumeville is at 1309 Taft Highway, Suite 133. For local pickup, place orders online at costumeville.net and select local pickup instead of shipping. Call 713-5362 with any questions.