Oct 19, 2008

A spooky retail seasonBy Allison SchaefersStarBulletin.com

The Costume Closet, a Kapahulu-based costume rental and sales store, achieved record sales last year. “It was our best year ever,” said owner Yvette LaFontaine, who opened her year-round small business in 1991. “I even hired a full-time manager.”

Now, the lagging U.S. economy has cast a shadow over consumers, and LaFontaine is bracing for what potentially could be her most challenging year since opening her shop in 1991. While Christmas sales are the big determiner of year-end performance for most traditional retailers, mid-September to Nov. 1 is the critical period for LaFontaine and a handful of Hawaii retailers and small business owners that cater to the Halloween crowd.

“We’re a year-round costume shop, but we do 50 percent of our sales during the Halloween time frame,” LaFontaine said. “Halloween is when I make the most money and I have to set aside some of this money to make it throughout the year.”

The National Retail Federation has forecast that Halloween celebrations will reach $5.77 billion this year as consumers look to escape everyday realities and take advantage of the calendar opportunity to celebrate Halloween all weekend long. Still, for the Hawaii businesses that depend on holiday sales, there are a lot of variables at play.

Traffic at LaFontaine’s shop has been steady through the first two weeks of October; however, it’s hard to say how the season will turn out until the final stretch, she said.

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