Business Beat—Heading Toward the Holidays

By Kathleen Furore

With the snap of your fingers — like a bit of Halloween magic — costumers’ favorite holiday will be in the rearview mirror, with Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa approaching quickly ahead. How are you preparing for post-Halloween sales? When does your store start promoting the holidays?”

Lucia Berocay, store manager at Costumes Plus in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is quick to answer: “Right after Halloween! One of the first things we do after our Halloween rush ends is set up a big Christmas section right in the front of the store.”

Santa suits, of course, are big sellers at Costumes Plus.

“We have a large selection of Santa suits and elf costumes. Santa suits, Mrs. Claus, and elves are our best sellers,” Berocay reports. “We have Santa suits at every price point so we can meet the budget of someone playing Santa for a family gathering or pub crawl as well as professional Santas. We actually sold more Santa suits than ever during the 2020 holiday season. I think everyone had been stuck at home and just wanted to find new ways to make the holidays special for their families.”

There’s even one Santa-themed item that is a bit of a twist on tradition. “Grinch costumes have also been popular,” Berocay adds. THE SWEATER CONNECTION Holiday sweaters have been warming up holidays for years, and Costumes Plus has cozied up to the trend. “We’ve carried holiday sweaters for quite a while, probably for the Photo courtesy of Costumes Plus last 10 years I would guess,” Berocay says. “We started carrying them as soon as ‘Ugly Christmas Sweaters’ became a trend, and they are still somewhat popular today. We get our holiday sweaters from Forum Novelties. They make a great attraction and people get a kick out of them.” And the sweater collection isn’t limited to Christmas themes; Costumes Plus sells Hanukkah sweaters, too.

While Santas and sweaters are best-sellers, Costumes Plus highlights other items, too. “Nativity costumes sell pretty well. Local churches that put on Christmas plays get a lot of their costumes from us,” Berocay says. “And we do have a wide variety of gifts, from Halloween/horror fan collectibles to metaphysical items like

crystals, incense, candles, and Tarot Cards. Our crystals, and especially our crystal and gemstone jewelry, are probably our most popular gifts.”

Everyone hopes for a more “normal” holiday season. But with the pandemic lingering, it is hard to predict what lies ahead. Berocay has a prediction: “I think that even with things opening up again, I wouldn’t be surprised if families are still doing more at home,” she says. “I think offering a wide range of price points and quality with Santa Suits is always something customers appreciate.”

Kathleen Furore is the editor of The Costumer.

School holiday ShowS. While many schools are moving away from overtly religious shows, they’re still holding events that include singing, dancing and other performances — often integrating Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa themes. Ask schools how you can help costume and accessorize their events.

church Nativity diSplayS. Mary and Joseph, shepherds and wisemen are the obvious costumes to carry — but don’t forget the sheep, donkey and cow costumes for kids, too

caroliNg coStumeS. Church/community/ volunteer groups, school classes, families and groups of friends often organize caroling outings. Tap local contacts to offer specials on group rentals of caroling costumes.

doN’t Forget the petS. Pet parents love to dress their furry family members for the holidays! Make sure they can find what they want in your store.