By Ed Avis
When most people think about your costume store, they probably envision happy kids choosing Halloween costumes and cheerful couples picking out party outfits. And those might be the majority of your customers. But you know – probably – that your customer base is much broader than that, and it probably could be even broader. What I mean is: Don’t overlook customers who don’t fit your traditional idea of who a customer should be.
For example, I recently interviewed Kathy Sprague, co-owner of NCA Member Safari Pearl, located in Moscow, Idaho. Her shop serves the drag community, both drag queens and drag kings. This is an important market for her store, and she knows that a key success factor with these customers is a welcoming atmosphere. Here are some pointers I learned by speaking with Kathy:
First, learn about the community. Drag refers to dressing and using makeup to highlight a gender identify, usually of the opposite sex. Drag is often associated with the LGBTQ community, but there are some drag performers who are straight. “Drag queens” wear clothing and makeup that exaggerate female characteristics, and “drag kings” dress to exaggerate male characteristics. In most cases, queens are men and kings are women, though some are transgender.
However, a common mistake is to associate the drag community with transgender individuals – they are not the same. Transgender individuals also may be good customers for clothing and makeup that accentuates gender, but that’s not what makes them transgender. In contrast, when drag queens or kings remove the clothing and makeup, they resume their day-to-day identity.
“Your first step in servicing this community well is to not make any assumptions about your customers,” Kathy says. One way to demonstrate your sensitivity to gender issues is to have your employees wear nametags that specify which pronoun they prefer. “That’s a good opener. That makes people feel comfortable.”
It’s easy to research drag culture online to learn the basics, but Kathy suggests reaching out to the community itself. You can make connections through a queer bar or community center, and/or get in touch with local drag queens or kings and look through their social media to see what looks they have and what products they may need.
What Products Should You Carry?
A key aspect of a drag identity is makeup that highlights gender. Most basic makeup kits contain the elements someone dressing in drag requires, Kathy says, but there are specific elements they may need more of, such as foundation, translucent powder, fixing spray, and bright colored blush, eye shadow, eyeliner and lipstick.
The drag community buys more than makeup, however. Drag kings – that is, women dressing as men – often want chest binders that reduce the size of their breasts and “packers,” which make it look like they have a penis. Drag queens, on the other hand, often want breastplates – silicone upper chest forms with breasts – or foam breasts.
Artificial hair – also known as crepe hair -- also sells well in the drag community. Both drag queens and kings use wigs to emulate the opposite sex, and many drag kings use fake mustaches, stubble or beards. Giant false eyelashes also are popular among some drag queens. Similarly, hair dye is also important to many drag performers because it allows them to vary their look or create a particular persona.
And of course many drag performers buy costumes. Naturally, it’s important to stock plus sizes – men wearing clothing designed for women often need larger sizes. The same goes for hosiery – stock the largest sizes available if you want drag queens to buy them.
Offer Education
A key way to foster the sales of drag products in your store – and to create the welcoming atmosphere – is to teach courses on the topic. If you are not able to do that yourself, you may be able to find someone in the community who is.
Kathy offers a class called Drag 101 that includes information about the history of drag, etiquette in the dressing room and with the audience, and makeup and hair basics. She says experienced makeup artists can teach drag makeup, even if that’s not their specialty.
A final thought: Members of the drag community may already be shopping in your store. If you make them feel welcome and offer products they need, you could discover an important new customer segment and start serving a part of your community that you previously overlooked.