By Ed Avis
Halloween is a big deal for every costume shop, but for NCA member Imagination Station Key West, a 10-day event called Fantasy Fest is even bigger. In fact, it’s even bigger than Christmas. Fantasy Fest, which has been attracting thousands of revelers to Key West, Florida every October since 1979, features parades, pool parties, bar crawls, scavenger hunts, masquerades, and dozens of other events…and attendees dress up for each one of them!
Fantasy Fest revelers outside Imagination Station
“Normally we have one girl in at a time, but we have five people in here right now prepping,” says Ellen Cantrell, who has owned Imagination Station for the past four years. “It takes a bit to get going.”
For most of the year, Imagination Station is primarily a toy store. But during Fantasy Fest the store becomes a full-fledged costume, accessories, and make-up extravaganza.
“For Fantasy Fest, we remove about two thirds of our toys, and then we transform into a Halloween store,” Cantrell says. “We have wigs, tutus, capes, weapons, a huge selection of wings, and costumes for all ages from toddler up to adult. And then we have a huge wall of accessories and things like ears and teeth, stuff like that.”
The store also has a big section of make-up, face jewels, glitter and other products to turn normal folks into Fantasy Fest participants. They also sell UV make-up that is a hit at the Glow Party.
Another special event that brings in the customers is the Zombie Bike Ride.
“We have a lot of zombie stuff,” Cantrell says. “Fake wounds, and I don't even know how much fake blood we have in the store. We have gallons of fake blood. And we usually sell out of the fake blood.”
Most of the Fantasy Fest events occur on Duval Street, which runs the width of Key West. Imagination Station is about two miles from there, but throngs of tourists stop at the store on their way to the fun.
To help ensure that attendees know the store is the Fantasy Fest gear headquarters, they advertise on a local radio station and in a local magazine. They also hang a banner across the street that goes through Key West. And they are official sponsors of Fantasy Fest, which means their logo appears on the event’s Facebook page and web site.
It all pays off in big sales for Imagination Station.
“For toy stores, Christmas is supposed to bring in the most revenue,” Cantrell notes. “But we do more revenue in this one week than we do at Christmas.”