Dressing up for Halloween may seem a little immature, but no matter who you are, the Lansing Civic Players Costume Shop will bring out the kid in you.
Carrying nearly 10,000 authentic-looking costumes, the costume shop, located above the Lansing Civic Players Guild, 2300 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, has been outfitting MSU students and faculty members, theater performers and Michigan residents for nearly 12 years, manager Patti Volz said.
There’s always a big rush for costumes during the Halloween season, but during the off-season people attending murder mystery dinners, theme parties and sitcom parties also come looking for something fun to wear, Volz said.
Although she’s only worked at the costume shop for a little more than a year, Volz has grown to love working with costumes.
“I’ve always been interested in them; I love it,” the Celtic music singer said. “I’m a really detailed person. I watch movies and look for the costumes.”
The costumes are usually made for theater productions or donated by different associations. Each costume is carefully constructed, with close attention paid to the details. Little things, such as jewelry and glasses, can help bring a costume to life, Volz said.
The shop houses costumes such as flapper dresses styled after the 1920s and poodle skirts from the 1950s.
“It’s real easy for me to recognize eras,” Volz said.
Some of the more popular costumes are pregnant nuns, Austin Powers, flappers and gangsters, Volz said.
Each year the MSU Department of Radiology participates in a costume competition with other clinical centers around the state during the week before the MSU-University of Michigan football game. This year they wore togas and wreaths on their heads.
“We’ve gotten our costumes from the Lansing Civic Players for the past three years,” radiology service manager John Grove said. “We’ve won first place the last three years, and this year we won as the rise of the second Spartan Empire.”
While there are many obscure costumes available, MSU alumnus Tom Colthurst opted for something simpler for a costume party he’s attending.
“I’m looking at the donkey costume now. I was worried about the headpiece - you’ve got to have something you can drink through,” Colthurst said. “Last year I was a bunny and my buddy was a dog. It was a hit - the animal ones are funny.”
Cost of the costumes varies, but they start at $35. A full costume will probably cost about $50, Volz said. People can keep the costumes for up to a week.
After visiting the costume shop as a child, interior design senior Josh Bogle-Brown came to the shop this year looking for an elaborate costume. He plans to party as a wizard.
“My wife’s going to be a fairy, so being a wizard seemed appropriate,” Bogle-Brown said.
The costume shop provides almost everything for a night on the town, dress-up style. The shop has lots of accessories and nearly 100 wigs. The only thing it doesn’t carry is shoes.
“We don’t lend shoes out to the public, but we try to point people in the right direction and help them find shoes,” Volz said.
For more information, call the costume shop at 484-9199.
