It’s a feat in itself that Halloween Adventure, a year-round costume shop taking up a large lot in prime Manhattan, has survived this long.
Now, with the building at 808 Broadway up for sale (the store runs all the way through to 4th Avenue on the other side), the store’s staff is hoping to close out the year strong, with the possibility of staying open under a new landlord.
"Things are getting worked out, we’re going to see how our numbers are at the end of the season, we’re hoping to go through the end of the year, and see what happens after that," said Mystic Bond, a store manager who’s been working at Halloween Adventure for 17 seasons.
In recent weeks, the store has been packed with students, families, and Halloween enthusiasts of all kinds looking to celebrate after the pandemic canceled many of last year’s festivities. Among this year’s hit costumes: Cruella, Baby Yoda, Dune-related get-ups, Squid Game characters, and various things that involve feathered wings, which have been selling out. Plus, the PG-13 version of all those things.
"Sexy outfits are always going to be in," said Diana Varga, another store manager who’s been at Halloween Adventure for 18 years. "Everybody wants to be that sexy nurse, or wearing the booty shorts and being as sexy as possible. Many people who are normally more conservative year-round, what makes Halloween special is that Halloween is about you."
Then there are the die-hard Halloween fans who rely on the shop because they go through multiple costumes in one season.
"I’m going to a Halloween-themed birthday party for a one-year-old, so that’s what I’m in here shopping for now," said Bea Metitiri, an East Village resident who’s been coming to the store for a decade.
"I’ve gotten a lot of makeup, pieces of things — usually for Halloween, but also a cosplay outfit and stuff," said Metitiri. "It’s year-round, so that’s special. And it has the most options, the salespeople can give advice for makeup, and you can find high quality details that you can’t get other places."
Bond, a store manager, said the pandemic devastated the business, not just because of last year’s muted Halloween, but also because COVID hit Halloween Adventure’s full ecosystem of year-round clients.
"We [normally] get TV shows that come to get costumes, we get theater students, bars that do different themes — we’re right [by] Webster Hall, they do themed events throughout the year," she said. "And even having New York City Gay Pride shut down [hurt our business]."
It was uncertain just months ago that Halloween Adventure would even be open for this Halloween — the store sold off steeply-discounted merchandise and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gift cards in a last-ditch effort to remain in business through the holiday.
But Bond said she hoped the store could rely on more than just revenue to justify its place in the East Village.
"It’s not just the money and numbers, it’s also the people and community around us," she said. "They don’t want another store to come here, another supermarket. They want Halloween Adventure, because we’ve been a staple of the community for so long. We’re almost like a landmark to some people."
With additional reporting by Sai Mokhtari.
