By Ed Avis
I’m a jogger. My wife (Kathy Furore, editor of The Costumer) and I live in Chicago, and have owned the same condominium for about seven years. That means that my jogging routes are totally established. In fact, I have a set route for every day of the week, and I almost never waver from those.
But recently we visited Kathy’s sister and her husband in Portland, Oregon, a beautiful city that I am not very familiar with. During our visit I ran twice, each time through fascinating new neighborhoods filled with interesting architecture, retailers, parks and other attractions. My normal run is about 45 minutes long; during these runs in Portland, the first time I looked at my smartphone my running time was nearly up and I was barely tired.
The point? Sometimes it’s good to try new things.
I mention this because over the past year I’ve fielded a number of phone calls from NCA members unhappy that a vendor or two that they had long dealt with had changed their discount structure or product lines. While I sympathized with them, I also encouraged them to consider new vendors. These shops are comfortable with the vendors they have used for decades, and that’s wonderful, but I told them they may be pleased with what some other, less familiar, vendors offer.
I can say that confidently because today, in fact, there are many costume, mask and accessory manufacturers that offer innovative products. The NCA currently has 49 Vendor Members – have you checked them all out? You can find most of them by clicking here to see those who participate in the Buyer’s Group.
For example, on this list you’ll find Seeing Red, founded by a sister/brother duo who have crafted a line of costumes that are, as they describe, mid-tier but edgy. These finely made costumes compete with some of the bigger-name lines, but are probably rather unfamiliar to the everyday consumer. Among their more innovative offerings are “wagon covers,” which convert a child’s wagon into a circus wagon or jet airplane.
Another new Vendor Member, Lola Stars, offers costumes that are all based on a standard, comfortable bodysuit that are printed with a massive variety of hyper-realistic characters, ranging from cowboys to sports figures to mermaids. Because the bodysuit is standard to their costumes, they can affordably create short runs, which means their minimums to retailers are delightfully low.
In the category of masks, check out KBW, which has created a tremendously diverse list of masks ranging from steam punk to Venetian to theatrical. They own their own factory, so the economics and timing of their manufacturing process translate to solid deals and availability to retailers. And their range of products means a costume shop can easily carry a full line that will never be seen at the “big box” retailers.
If you’re looking for the ever-popular pirate costumes – in good quality – see the line from The Pirate Dressing. They offer rental-quality pirate outfits that your customers simply will not find at any competing large retailer. Another vendor of pirate clothing, and remarkable “gothic” style outfits, is Orchid Bloom. They also offer a line of “pin-up girl” clothing that is unmatched in creativity and quality.
Those examples are just scratching the surface of what’s available these days from innovative, fresh-thinking costume vendors. They may not offer the licensed products that the big manufacturers offer – and you may find you need some of those for your customers – but what they offer will definitely attract interest among customers who are looking for something different.
Just like my Portland jogging routes were a truly enjoyable change from my normal routine, you may find that trying some of these vendors could bring a new level of enthusiasm to your store’s offerings.