Locally Owned Halloween Shops Works To Keep Up Trending Costumes

For nearly 50 years, locally owned costume store SpotLite Magic & Costumes has stood the test of time.

It opened in 1976 and changed ownership in 1998 when Sacheen Platten and her husband bought it.

"My husband does magic," Platten said. "He bought a lot of his magic tricks from SpotLite when he was a kid, so he hated to see somebody buy it who did not really have any interest in magic."

She said they had no prior business experience and learned on the fly. Now, 25 years later, the Platten's have the system down. The pair buys costumes at a market in January to have ready for Halloween in October.

"We do not buy a hundred of one costume, but we will buy maybe a dozen," Platten continued saying, "I always say we go wide because we have a wide variety, not just the main things that are popular."

Some trends cannot be ignored, like those inspired by movies. In 2023 those Blockbuster hits were Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

"I sold my last Ken costume Monday night, and it was Ken Cowboy. His wife was going to be Barbie and he came in and said I need something, so it has a huge influence," Platten said,

Superhero costumes and everyday heroes like police officers and firefighters are also flying off the shelves. However, there is one trend Platten said never dies: scary things.

"We have sold a lot of Scream masks and a lot of Purge masks," she added.

If you cannot find what you want in a packaged costume, SpotLite also has plenty of accessories to create your own or add to an existing idea.

"For example, a flapper girl," Platten continued saying, "A lot of times ladies will come in and they will have their dress, maybe something out of their closet, but we have boa's, we have gloves, we have wigs, we have the long pearls, we have the fishnets, so we have everything to go along with that."

Halloween will come and go, but unlike so many others, SpotLite Magic & Costumes plans to stick around.

The costume store is located near E 71st St. and Memorial Dr. It is open Monday through Saturday until 6 p.m.