Take a walk into Dallas and Co. on the corner of First and University, and you’ll think you’ve stepped into the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory of costumes. The store, which has been in business for 35 years, celebrates Halloween all year long, and has every costume imaginable. Barbara Dallas, one of the owners of Dallas and Co., sat down with Her Campus to talk about how her store plays a part during one of U of I’s favorite holidays.
Her Campus: Why did you decide to open a costume shop?
Barbara Dallas: We started selling masks, and costumes were just a natural addition to the shop. There was a need for a costume shop in Champaign, and people were asking for a place to buy Halloween costumes. We bought out an old costume shop in Chicago and brought it here.
HC: What’s the most popular costume you’ve sold this year?
BD: We’ve sold a lot of Lady Gaga outfits, from the wig and the glasses to the crazy jumpsuits. We’ve also sold a lot of classic things such as zombie or vampire costumes, and more hooded robes and capes as well as glamour-type costumes. The Leg Avenue-brand costumes are usually our biggest selling type.
HC: What are some crazy costume requests you’ve received over the years?
BD: We get crazy costume requests all of the time. One year, someone wanted to be a t-bone steak, but the closest thing we had was a rib-eye steak costume, and that wasn’t going to do. It was really weird, but everyone has creative imaginations for how they want to dress for Halloween.
HC: What is the most creative costume you’ve ever seen on Halloween?
BD: Anything with glitter and sequins is usually pretty creative to me. We have a lot of Venetian-style eye masks with feathers and sequins that are really high quality and people use them as headpieces and fun accessories to make their classic costumes more unique.
HC: The shop also allows customers to rent costumes for Halloween. How does that work?
BD: You can come in to the shop and pick up a costume in the rental section and can keep it through Halloween weekend for one fee. The price varies by costume, and it can be anywhere from $25-$95 depending on how many accessories come with the costume. Most of the rental costumes cost between $25-$45. It’s a nice addition for people who are on a tight budget and want a creative costume for Halloween but don’t want to spend the money on something they’ll only wear once. We also carry rentals for events outside of Halloween.
HC: What is your favorite Halloween memory as a child?
BD: I loved seeing all of the different costumes each year. My favorite would probably have to be dressing up as a ladybug when I was around seven years old.
HC: What is your favorite Halloween candy?
BD: I really like the Halloween popcorn balls covered with caramel from The Popcorn Factory. But I also like Snickers.
HC: What do you love about Halloween?
BD: It’s a fun thing to do, and why not do something that everyone has a good time at? I love getting to see the cool things people want to dress up as each year.
“Halloweekend” might be over, but Dallas and Co. is always open for your costume needs! Keep the spirit alive all year round by shopping at Dallas the next time you’re feeling spooky, silly, or sassy.
Photos courtesy of Victorial Herold