No Trump, Clinton or clowns; other Halloween costumes seem to be selling at area stores

Halloween is a week away, and Southeast Missourians of all ages are on the hunt for the perfect costume.

The pickings this year are slimmer than past years. Pop-up Halloween shops once found in the mall or in Town Plaza did not pop up this month, reducing the region's number of dedicated Halloween stores.

Stone Haus, a longstanding costume store in Sikeston, Missouri, closed last year. Its remaining costumes were donated to the Safe House for Women Thrift Shop, according to the thrift store's Facebook page.

But plenty of options remain for people looking for a prepackaged Halloween costume, or those hoping to create their own or piece something together.

For children, the most popular costumes are the more traditional kinds, according to area stores. People can expect to see streets lined with pirates and witches next week, as well as princesses and superheroes.

DeeAnn Vargas, left, and Debra Rau, right, laugh while looking at costumes at Younghouse Party Central Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016 in Cape Girardeau.ANDREW J. WHITAKER

Jackie Leal, human resources manager at Target, said children's Marvel superhero costumes are selling well at the store. Less conventional costumes also are garnering interest -- silly hats and sandwich-board doughnut and pizza costumes are frequently tried on and photographed, she said.

But as Halloween shoppers get older, their interests vary. Costumes transition from cute to creepy, as evidenced by the sales of scary movie masks.

At Younghouse Party Central, Michael Meyer masks from the "Halloween" horror films are a popular standard.

"A lot of adults like the gory costumes. We sell a lot of those," a Younghouse representative said.

At Hot Topic, assistant manager Lauren Keczkemethy said men frequently come in seeking masks from the movie "The Purge."

Garrett Woodall, 7, from Jackson reaches for an Optimus Prime costume at Younghouse Party Central Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016 in Cape Girardeau.ANDREW J. WHITAKER

"We get a lot of last minute requests for those," she said. "We sell out fairly quickly."

The mall store's best-sellers for women are its Harley Quinn costume from the movie "Suicide Squad" and its superhero costumes. For men and women, Keczkemethy said, "onesie" style costumes, particularly popular video-game characters such as Pikachu from Pokemon, and Freddy Fazbear from Five Nights at Freddy's, also are popular.

What is not selling well at most stores are adult clown costumes. After a string of nationwide and social media-fueled "creepy clown" sightings, several area stores have limited their offerings. Target pulled all scary clown costumes and masks from its stores and website.

"We did sell one child's clown, French-type costume," Laurie Everett of Annie Laurie's Antiques said. "But to me that's a different look."

Earlier in the season, the antique shop had an elaborate clown display. After the hype of the scary-clown craze, Gail Lowrance of Annie Laurie's Antiques said, "I dismantled that quickly."

Masks hang on the walls at Younghouse Party Central Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016 in Cape Girardeau.ANDREW J. WHITAKER

Party City still carries clown costumes, and Hot Topic has masks, but the interest in those items are small, store representatives said.

At Younghouse, though, they have seen an increased interest.

"With all that crazy stuff going around, now people come in and buy them," a Younghouse sales associate said. "If you tell them no, then that's what they want."

And though upcoming presidential election is on the front of the nation's collective minds, political masks are not selling well locally.

Party City reported very few sales, and a representative said they had many masks of both major political parties still in stock. At Younghouse, the Trump mask has seen some movement, certainly more than the Clinton. But sales still have been low.

Moving beyond the prepackaged costumes, many Halloween celebrants are putting together their own costumes, invading local shops for the right pieces and the appropriate makeup. Everett said many people come into her shop seeking a certain look.

She said 1920s-era flapper costumes are always popular, and she recently helped a customer put together a blacksmith costume.

At Younghouse, steampunk is a common costume theme.

Most stores agree the biggest sales are yet to come. This week and into next weekend, they expect sales to soar.

"A lot of people wait until the last minute," Keczkemethy said.

Everett agreed.

"We always get slammed the week before," she said.

bbrown@semissourian.com

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