By Ed Avis
Three generations in 1985, L to R: Keith Zauder, his father Fred Zauder, and his grandfather Charles Zauder, co-founder of the company.
Keith Zauder can trace his family’s involvement with costuming back to 1908, when his grandfather and two great uncles started a business providing wigs, beards and makeup to actors in Manhattan. That business, called Zauder’s, evolved into a supplier of quality makeup sold to NCA member stores and other theatrical suppliers.
“Anyone who’s in the Halloween business and was around in the 40s, 50s and 60s would know my family well,” Keith Zauder says. “We used to be at all the conventions and sold products throughout the country.”
Today Zauder continues the family tradition. He is the director of brand acquisition for Best Seller, Inc., a new NCA Vendor Member, and he heads up that company’s efforts to distribute two lines of innovative makeup products, PaintGlow and Splashes & Spills.
First, Some History
Zauder joined his family’s business in 1978, heading up sales. In addition to calling on NCA members, he spearheaded a line of mass market makeup that was sold to Walmart and other major retailers. “Those were different products so there was not a conflict with the smaller retailers,” he says.
Over the subsequent 12 years he also visited stores in Canada and grew the family’s business in that country. In 1990 Rubies approached him because they also wanted to expand there.
“I wasn’t really interested in moving to Canada, so at first I said, ‘Thank you, but no,’” Zauder remembers. “But I told them I’d go up there and take a look. I stayed two weeks and came back with a boatload of orders for them. There was a lack of Halloween product in Canada. So I made a deal with Rubies and moved to Toronto and lived there for 25 years.”
That quarter century Zauder spent in Canada was a time of great change in the Halloween industry. His family’s business faced growing competition from myriad other vendors, and closed in 2005. And Rubie’s ownership changed.
“By 2015 there was a new generation of ownership coming in and a lot of changes, and I decided not to renew my contract,” he says. “But I knew everyone in the industry, and felt that I certainly could find something else to do. So I reached out to some of the Halloween vendors and starting doing some work with Underwraps and Leg Avenue.”
One of the companies he encountered during that time was Best Seller, Inc., which was partnering with vendors who wanted to sell product on Amazon. About four years ago they hired Zauder to help grow that business on the costume side.
New Wholesale Opportunities
Zauder’s work for Best Seller Inc. eventually led him to PaintGlow, a company located in the United Kingdom that manufactures makeup. Their line includes glow-in-the-dark makeup, flourescent glitter makeup, and similar products under the brand names PaintGlow, Glitter Me Up, Rebellious Color, Funky Face, Fright Fest and Extreme FX.
But PaintGlow did not partner with Best Seller, Inc. simply for selling product on Amazon. They also came to a wholesale distribution agreement – Best Seller, Inc. is now the exclusive U.S. distributor for their products.
Then in 2023, Best Seller Inc. expanded its makeup line by acquiring another UK company, Splashes & Spills. That company makes hair dye, glitter makeup, neon makeup and special effects products.
Now Zauder would like to promote those two lines – PaintGlow and Splashes & Spills (see a sample of the products in the images below) – to NCA members. He believes the quality and variety will appeal to costume/makeup retailers who want to grow their business among customers seeking fun, innovative options. Best Seller, Inc. has joined the Buyer’s Group and is offering NCA members a 10% off orders above $2,500.
“We’d like to start working with NCA members and grow our partnership together,” he says. “We have been in business for 10 years and have excellent repuation. I’m confident NCA members will enjoy working with us.”
Zauder’s efforts with PaintGlow and Splashes & Spills brings him back to the roots of his family business, 116 years later.
For more information and to set up an account, contact Zauder at keith@bestsellerus.com.
