By Ed Avis
Smart costume shop owners know that they have to help customers celebrate holidays all year, not just at Halloween. Amy Cartwright, owner of The Costume Shop in Russell’s Point, Ohio, is one of those smart people. She created an in-store class for making Kentucky Derby hats and it’s bringing in a bunch of customers!
“Last year we had several customers inquire about us making them Derby hats, so we did it,” Cartwright says. “So I told Suzy, my crafty employee, we would do a class this year and see what happens!”
There are two sessions of the class, April 9 and April 11. Each will last two hours. Cartwright is providing all of the supplies needed, such as ribbons and flowers, and glue guns to attach the decorations. Participants can choose from a variety of base hats to be decorated. She’s also offering light snacks and drinks.
The Costume Shop does not have a dedicated space for classes, so Cartwright will move some racks out of the main sales floor and put up tables.
She originally planned just one class, but after promoting the events on Facebook the response was so good that she added the second date. She is charging $40 per person, though she says that next time she may charge $50. This class is for adults only, but she’s thinking about doing an “Introduction to Costuming” class for kids this summer.
“I’m excited to see how this goes,” she says. “It helps boost sales a bit this time of year!”