West Lebanon
“This is such a perfect little mermaid costume,” Coles said, holding up a blue dress with sequined shoulders.
Coles and her partner, Stan Bovenschen, were among a swarm of Halloween shoppers at Listen just three days before the holiday, while others took their nearly last-minute outfit search to Party City and Costumania in West Lebanon.
Garrett Wilson, of White River Junction, said he felt compelled to buy a new costume this year. “For the last six years, I’ve been Waldo,” he said.
Scrutinizing one of Costumania’s many mask displays, he said he’d narrowed his choices to two: old man or hippie.
“My wife, she always says I’m an old man,” Wilson joked.
Despite Halloween’s reputation as a kid-centric holiday, many adults decide to dress up, as well. Mark Young, a co-owner of Costumania, estimated his store sells 50 percent more costumes to adults than it does for children. This year, he said, “there’s been a lot of Hillary and Trump masks.”
Beyond politics, costumes of the DC Comics supervillain Harley Quinn have also been a big hit this season. “We sold out of it a couple times, kids and adults,” Costumania employee Zach Stanley said.
Party City sales associate Newell Clark also mentioned the popularity of the Quinn character, but said he hadn’t noticed a clear favorite this year. Last year, it was Elsa, star of the Disney film Frozen.
“It was huge,” Clark said, recalling the Elsa craze. “There were memes about it on Facebook, it was so huge.”
Listen’s Lebanon branch has already sold much of its Halloween stock, including 10 wedding dresses, and is beginning to set aside items for next year’s sale.
“You have to make sure you have enough for the whole town, we like to say,” said Karen Stone, the store’s retail director.
“It definitely makes the store really messy,” Stone said of the Halloween rush, “but just seeing the kids’ faces when they get their Halloween costumes — it’s worth it. Parents are happy as well because they’re getting it cheaper. …”
Listen has also enjoyed the support of more young shoppers, sales associate Robin Sanville noted. “It’s not as taboo as it used to be to shop in a thrift store,” she said.
Coles and Bovenschen are part of this younger cohort of shoppers. The 20-somethings from Wilder came to Listen to find pieces they could use to dress up as Game of Thrones lovers Daenerys Targaryen and Daario Naharis.
Bovenschen tried on a maroon-and-navy shirt resembling armor, but seemed skeptical. “I think it’s lovely,” Coles said, reassuring him.
Coles held to her waist a brown skirt she intended to buy. The next stop on the pair’s itinerary was a hobby store, where they were planning to pick up some fabric to add to their ensembles.
At Party City, 11-year-old Davey Tolliday said he was looking forward to trick-or-treating in his hometown of Norwich, and was weighing whether to go as a caveman or a devil. “He’s been very undecided this year,” said his mom, who was accompanying him.
Fellow Party City shopper Francis Dolarhyde was looking to buy some small, Halloween-themed gifts for friends. He recalled with some fondness the Halloweens of his youth: “If you won the costume competition, two kids got to ride on a fire truck from the school to the firehouse, where there was a party with treats and games and cider,” the New Jersey native recalled.
Dolarhyde added that he hoped trick-or-treating would remain a safe activity for kids, stressing the importance of “making sure they’re visible when they’re out, checking their treats, and not committing any vandalism.”
Young, the Costumania owner, predicted his shop would get busier as the day progressed.
“A lot of people haven’t even gotten out of bed yet,” he said around 1 p.m., moments after selling a customer a $6.99 bottle of “vampire blood.”