Abracadabra Superstore

I do have to admit that this store typically has had a good selection of costumes, accessories, and makeup items for just about any ensemble you can think of. Prices are borderline crazy, but I can only imagine what their rent is. Their staff is reasonably friendly, in a semi-fake kind of way. If you have specific needs you can count on them talking about you badly when they think you're out of earshot. I'm sorry I'm an elementary school teacher with a husband and two kids - and not a sad single girl in my late 20's with professionally quaffed eyebrows and 3 pounds of makeup on a Tuesday afternoon, probably cheated on their last boyfriend and laughed while quoting a rap song. Yikes, sorry about that. Catty girl rant over. Pretty sure I heard the owner shout something about his manhood from his back office - ironically decked out like a prison cell.

The real shining stars here are actually the magicians, who are great souls and great salesmen. Want to know the secret to an illusion? Buy the trick! Guess who bought some magic?? And don't get me started on the store's low-key protector Merlin the cat. He wore a tiny hat for a while during our last visit and puts up with the stream of strangers with a purr and whatever the cat version of a shrug would be.

Okay, personal gripes aside, this is a fun store with some fun stuff, but outside of the occasional last-minute grab for a school event, or even rarer party, I'll save 30% by buying online.

Get yourself down here for Halloween! It's got the best selection and the staff are actually friendly. Also it's not as crowded in terms of stock, as some of the other places in the city seem to ram everything int their small spaces. There's a max of 3 costumes you can try on though in store - don't want to find that out at the fitting rooms!