Larry Kirchner is the owner of Hauntworld.com, the authority on the nation’s best haunted houses and attractions. Larry specializes in attractions and we’re excited that he has taken some time to provide some expert insight on the latest amateur and professional costume trends, and how many people go to thrift stores and flea markets to create the perfect costume.
For people who like to be unique and stand out from the crowd, Halloween often starts in thrift stores. Thrift stores offer people endless mix-and-match possibilities to tailor a disguise that best reflects their personality and vision of a perfect costume. In the haunted house industry, we often look to thrift stores to find older, more dated items. These materials can range from unusual items for decorations and scene creation to clothing for costumes.
Clothing provides character. With the recent mainstream popularity of zombies on television and in the movies, many people and haunted house actors zombify themselves for Halloween. Clothes are what set each character apart, and there is no better place to find special articles than thrift stores. Instead of having many of the same character, you get many different looking zombies. I’ve seen some people get pretty creative. I’ve seen brides, golfers, celebrities and even Santa in full make-up scaring haunted house visitors. Thrift stores are a great place to compile costumes – all you need is an idea, and you can usually find what you’re looking for.
