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Sunday, November 15, 2026Nov 15

Kennedy: How to find a last-minute Halloween costume

Staff Photo by Mark Kennedy / On June 15, 2025, Lisa Porter, seated, and her daughter, Mia, pose at the Goth Trading Co., Lisa Porter's clothing and gifts store on Tremont Street.
Staff Photo by Mark Kennedy / On June 15, 2025, Lisa Porter, seated, and her daughter, Mia, pose at the Goth Trading Co., Lisa Porter's clothing and gifts store on Tremont Street.


When Lisa Porter opened the Gothic Trading Co. clothing and gift store on the North Shore earlier this year, Halloween was never far from her mind.

And now, less than two weeks before the big night, business is surging.

“Things have picked up, for sure,” the 45-year-old business owner said in an interview.

Her corner store, which has been called the “Gothic Cracker Barrel,” sits near the popular Aretha Frankensteins restaurant and specializes in everything from Halloween baby garments to Victorian-style corsets for women and “Beetlejuice” costumes for men.