What kid wouldn't want a zombie-themed birthday party?
By Ed Avis
The NCA’s 100th Birthday Bash in Indianapolis three weeks ago was alive with information exchange. One of the educational sessions focused on how costume shops can expand their markets beyond the traditional areas. Here are 9 great ideas from the session:
1) Add goofy stuff to your product mix. Louella Torrence, retired owner of Drop Me a Line Costume Shop in Allentown, Pennsylvania, knew that customers rarely could resist adding some fun impulse items to their purchase. Among her favorites were the boxing nun toy, the Extenda-Fork, Hotlix candies with bugs in them, buttons, and any “over-the-hill” items.
2) Ask schools who cleans their mascots. Nearly every school and college has a mascot, probably with one or two costumes, and they all need regular cleaning. Why not corner that business for your store? Cleaning mascots is not particularly difficult for a costume business that already cleans other garments, but it’s definitely a challenge for a school cheer coach or athletic director. Not only will you make money on the cleaning, but with the right expertise, you could also make money on mascot repair or total rebuild.
3) Get a booth at a street festival or community festival. Courtland Hickey, owner of Chicago Costume, says those types of events introduce his store to community-minded folks who may otherwise not shop with him. And the contacts he makes at these events sometimes leads to projects with corporations who need costumes for special events.
4) Hold themed birthday parties in your store. Can you imagine how fun a Zombie Birthday Party would be? You provide the space, the make-up, the thrift clothes and the instruction, and the kids have a ball! Pirate parties, Princess parties, Cosplay parties….the possibilities are endless if you have the room and a staff person who can supervise the fun.
5) Get out your pen. Writing letters – the old fashioned kind on paper with stamps – is a great way to introduce your store’s services to schools, corporations, and other potential customers. Those potential buyers get way too much email, and a nicely written personal letter is much more likely to be read.
6) Add a personal note. If you sell products online, you probably have zero actual interaction with the buyer. But if you hand write a note and put it in the package, or write a kind thank-you on the receipt or packing slip, you will show the buyer that a real human was on the other end of the transaction. In today’s automated robotic world, that personal touch can go a long way towards establishing a true relationship.
7) Get creative with your discounts. One attendee said they do an April Fool’s Day Sale each year, where select items are marked 40 percent off from 7 to 8 a.m.; 30 percent off from 8 to 9 a.m.; 20 percent off from 9 to 10 a.m.; and 10 percent off the rest of the day. That’s sure to get customers in the door early! Another said their store does a declining Halloween sale – prices are 30 percent off the first week in September; 20 percent off the second week; 10 percent off the third week; 5 percent off the last week; and then full price all October.
8) Sell games. Sure, you’ll never compete with Target and Walmart on sales of Monopoly or Risk, but if you stock creative options such as Murder Mystery Boxes, which guide the buyer through a murder mystery dinner party, you have a chance. One attendee said customers would buy this game…and then buy the associated costumes to round out the fun.
9) Partner with bars for a costumed bar crawl. Examples of popular bar crawls that require – or at least encourage – dress-up are Ugly Christmas Sweater Crawls, Zombie Crawls, and Superhero Crawls. Sean Morris from Morris Costumes said that a popular event in Charlotte, where his store is located, is the Banana Bar Crawl, which features people dressed up like bananas. Where do they buy the banana suits? Morris Costumes, of course!