This Halloween has already proved to be as profitable for Gift Adventures, 137 E. Beaver Ave., as it has for the past 30 years the store has dressed State College for the holiday.
Every Halloween season, beginning Sept. 1, the store devotes most of its space, usually reserved for standard gift shop retail, to Halloween costumes and accessories to accommodate any desired outfit.
Gary Filkins, manager of Gift Adventures, said the store has had a Halloween section for the past 25 years, and he has seen males and females of all different body types come into the store looking for costumes for the holiday.
Filkins said Gift Adventure's biggest competition in sales is with online retailers. He said he doesn't advise purchasing costumes online because the fit can be tricky.
"We will have girls come in to try on 30 or 40 costumes, which you can't do online," he said.
Filkins said Dreamgirl and Leg Avenue are the two best brands for Halloween costumes the store sells because they fit girls well.
"We all know girls are very particular about how they look," he said.
He added the store has been especially successful in novelty accessory sales this Halloween season.
And in the case that you've waited until the very last minute to snag your costume, you may not be the only one. During this last week before Halloween, Gift Adventures hires a bouncer for costume crowd control, Filkins said.
"We have had lines down to the Rathskeller to get into the store," he added.
Students browsing the store offered their opinion on the selection.
"I don't think I'll end up buying my costume here because it's expensive and they don't have exactly what I want," Danielle Carfaro (sophomore-kinesiology) said.
Guys in the store said they usually do not think about their Halloween costumes until a week before the holiday, and generally try to be funny when picking a costume.
"I usually put accessories I buy with my own clothes," Tim Miller (sophomore-accounting) said. "I try to spend $20 or less on a costume."
Matt Roberts (sophomore-criminal justice) said he went in just to browse and gather ideas.
"We'll probably end up buying stuff at the Nittany Mall," he said.
Trolling the displays and trying on countless options for an ideal look can be tedious and even exhausting. We picked our favorite selections -- from the sweet, sexy and scary costume catagories -- to assess which will be abundant on the streets of State College this Friday night.
Scary
"Batgirl" costume by Secret Wishes ($53.09 on Amazon.com, currently sold out at Gift Adventures)
For those who like to keep in the spirit of Halloween and actually dress a little scary, there's the "Batgirl" costume. The shiny black dress, emblazoned with the yellow Batman logo, comes with a cape, glovelets, an eye mask, a vinyl belt and boot tops.
Filkins said this costume sold out quickly because of the popularity of the recent film The Dark Knight.
For guys, the most popular scary costume has been the Joker from the same movie.
Sweet
The "Sea Side Pin Up" costume by Dreamgirl ($54) is a sassy sailor costume popular in the sweet category. The navy and gold dress is detailed with a bow in front. The costume incorporates navy thigh highs with lace detail and a white sailor hat. A gold anchor adorns the back of the dress.
Filkins said the Dreamgirl brand offers more conservative costumes for those trying to stay decent on Halloween.
The "Eskimo Cutie" costume by Dreamgirl ($54) is another option for staying cute and classy this Halloween. This brown velvet dress, complete with furry white sleeves and hood trim, comes with white gloves and white boot covers.
Sexy
The "Prisoner of Love" costume by Leg Avenue ($34) falls in the sexy category. This 100 percent polyester, orange skintight jumpsuit is low on the cleavage and skimpy on the bottom. Complete with a handcuff belt, this costume is sure to receive double takes.
"The Leg Avenue brand is more revealing," Filkins said. "You'd have to be pretty comfortable with your body to wear this one."
The "Cops and Robbers" costume by Leg Avenue ($56) turns the gangster look into something seductive. A white-cropped jacket and tiny pleated skirt go over a tight bustier and money sign tie. Cleavage and midriff are sure to be exposed, while gartered fishnets complete the look.
"Guys like garters," Filkin said.
