2008 Woodie Awards
Getting in Character on Halloween Night
David Garrison
Issue date: 10/31/07 Section: Community
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Last Friday, a severed hand hung above a sidewalk in Arcata and it pointed the way into the Vintage Avenger.
Jane Williams stood behind the counter in the shop dressed in black. She shared the small space with pirate swords, Zorro masks, hot pink wigs, yellow jump suits and a constant stream of customers. The clang of medal coat hangers filled the room as hand after hand sifted through the crowded racks in search of the perfect costume. With all the stuff in there, a person can throw together the costume of their wildest dream and worst nightmare all in one. Williams loves that about Halloween.
"It's the one day out of the year when people get to let lose," she said. "And do stuff they wouldn't normally do."
Nancy Tobin owns the shop. She said that she doesn't change what she carries in her store on Halloween, but she does increase her inventory. Business picks up this time of year. She expected 1,000 people to walk through her store on Friday. That's at least three times as much traffic as she gets the rest of the year.
Tobin's duty at the Vintage Avenger is to help people find a costume that suits them. She said the most people have a vague idea of what they want to be. She helps them find accessories that will make that vision come alive.
She said that some people take their roles very seriously. If they are gangsters, they choreograph entire routines. It's not a bad thing. "I think it's funny when they do," she said.
Most people think that way, but costumes do affect the way people behave.
A few years ago Casara Adkins, a student at Humboldt State University dressed up as a chola (a Latina Gangster Woman). That year, to be in character, Adkins got into fights all day long. When it comes to costumes, "I go all out," she said.
Adkins thinks about costumes throughout the year. Whenever she has the chance to attend a costume party, she does. She likes that those events allow her to be different for a little while. "It's a chance to be silly," she said, "you don't have to be you."
Jane Williams stood behind the counter in the shop dressed in black. She shared the small space with pirate swords, Zorro masks, hot pink wigs, yellow jump suits and a constant stream of customers. The clang of medal coat hangers filled the room as hand after hand sifted through the crowded racks in search of the perfect costume. With all the stuff in there, a person can throw together the costume of their wildest dream and worst nightmare all in one. Williams loves that about Halloween.
"It's the one day out of the year when people get to let lose," she said. "And do stuff they wouldn't normally do."
Nancy Tobin owns the shop. She said that she doesn't change what she carries in her store on Halloween, but she does increase her inventory. Business picks up this time of year. She expected 1,000 people to walk through her store on Friday. That's at least three times as much traffic as she gets the rest of the year.
Tobin's duty at the Vintage Avenger is to help people find a costume that suits them. She said the most people have a vague idea of what they want to be. She helps them find accessories that will make that vision come alive.
She said that some people take their roles very seriously. If they are gangsters, they choreograph entire routines. It's not a bad thing. "I think it's funny when they do," she said.
Most people think that way, but costumes do affect the way people behave.
A few years ago Casara Adkins, a student at Humboldt State University dressed up as a chola (a Latina Gangster Woman). That year, to be in character, Adkins got into fights all day long. When it comes to costumes, "I go all out," she said.
Adkins thinks about costumes throughout the year. Whenever she has the chance to attend a costume party, she does. She likes that those events allow her to be different for a little while. "It's a chance to be silly," she said, "you don't have to be you."
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