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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Instant disguise


Hayley Louik, 7, considers a princess dress for her Halloween costume with the help of her sister, Abigail Louik, 5, and mom Raquel Louik at the Display House in Spokane Valley.
 (The Spokesman-Review)
Staff writer

With goblins and ghouls, super heroes and cartoons set to come to life for Halloween, costume stores around town are swarming with customers looking for the perfect get-up. At Display House at 6510 E. Sprague Ave., the aisles have been congested with people searching for costumes and creepy decorations. Excited teenagers compare wigs and fangs, homeowners ruminate on whether to get the giant tarantula or the bony skeleton, and parents bicker with children over what’s appropriate – mom wants son to dress up as a “Matrix” character, but child wants to be the “Scream” killer.

Meanwhile, the shelves are slowly being depleted of the best stock.

“(People) are always waiting until the last minute. It’s been crazy, and it just gets worse,” said Sheryl Palmer, one of the store’s buyers. “They just gotta take what they can get.”

There’s no shortage of ideas here: witches and nuns, angels and gangsters, Marilyn Monroe and Freddy Krueger. You can be naughty or nice, evil or noble or both at the same time, like Mayra Reyes who is going to a party at Spokane Community College as a devilish angel.

“(Friends) say it doesn’t go with my character, but I’ll pull it off,” Reyes said.

Some transform themselves into celebrities or historical figures, while others hunt for bits and pieces to come up with something more creepy.

For Julie Garza, 16, that’s a vampire.

“I’ve always been one, almost every year,” she said recently as she explored the racks with her mother. She was a vampire princess when she was 6.

Choosing one’s temporary alter ego can take hours because some people are not sure who – or what – they want to morph into for a night. The undecided did laps around the store, wandering from one costume to the next and back again.

For others, it’s lengthy simply because all the details have to be right – one man who wanted to be the Easter Bunny had a hard time finding colored eggs so late in the season. Luckily, a staff member was able to dig some up from storage.

Jennifer LaForte, 22, tried out numerous black wigs for her Elvira transformation, which she had picked after sifting through more outfits than she cared to count.

“The dress is really cute,” she said after finally selecting her hair. “I liked how it fit.”

Her sister, Taneel LaForte, 18, had already decided she would be Rainbow Brite, but that decision took two weeks, she said.

“It’s colorful, and I like colors,” said Taneel, who estimates she’ll spend at least $80 getting glitter, shoes, hair paint and other elements for her look.

Display House staff say “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars” characters remain favorites. The geeky “Napoleon Dynamite” also has won many hearts, as well as “Batman.”

“The ‘Star Wars’ – we can’t seem to keep the child sizes in stock,” owner John Jones said, adding that even suppliers have been out. “The true followers of those episodes, they don’t hesitate as to what they’ll spend.”

The store has an $800 full Darth Vader suit and sold one of its Chewbacca costumes, which goes for $475. Or one could keep things simple and get the Anakin Skywalker hair braid for $5.

Palmer said adults will spend between $75 and $200 on a costume, much more than is spent on children.

“We have some people who do really elaborate costumes. They go all out with a theme,” she said.

“Star Wars” costumes were quickly swept off the shelves at the Spirit Halloween Superstore at 12107 E. Sprague Ave. A particular attraction was a light saber that glows and buzzes like the real thing and costs $120. Since it’s a collector’s item, Jedi wannabes can play year long.

“They’re awesome: they’re very fun to play with,” said Assistant Manager Courtney Hill.

Each age group seems to have its preferences, Hill said.

“Teenage girls go with the short, slinky stuff,” Hill said. “I had two college students come out and buy beer hats and bumblebee costumes.”

Younger kids are also picking up new interests – gone are the days when they were content to be little fairies.

“Little boys don’t want to be cowboys; they want to be nasty little zombies or headless horsemen,” Hill said.

Little girls, on the other hand, want to be pop stars or drama queens.

“Some (parents) are like, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe my child wants to wear this,’ ” Hill said. “Kids don’t want to be kids anymore. They want to be adults… . There are not very many princesses anymore.”

Despite the variety in available costumes, some requests are difficult to fill. One customer at the Display House wanted to be Bigfoot. Unfortunately, nobody knows exactly what he looks like.