October 31st is approaching sooner than we think, and its time to start planning our Halloween costumes. It’s a stressful time of year, having to decide what to wear for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And on top of that, making sure our costumes are original, tasteful, and most of all, understandable can be difficult. Nothing’s worse than walking into a room and having people ask who you are.
As creative, smart, individual college students, it’s time to kick the mainstream Halloween stores to the curb and express our creativity by DIY-ing our costumes. Because let’s face it: $50 two-set outfits are just completely unaffordable.
Halloween is the one time of year you can dress up and be anyone you want, so why run the risk of having the same exact costume as the next girl? There are just too many reasons why DIY costumes are so much better than store bought costumes, but instead of going into great detail listing those reasons, here are some places in Indiana, Pa where you can accessorize, glamorize, and build your own costume.
Thrift stores are perfect for creating and designing Halloween costumes. They offer more articles of clothing than you can even fathom, and they’re insanely affordable for our tight budgets.
Salvation Army: This place is semi-new to Indiana, as it was introduced to town just last year being placed in the strip mall by Big Lots on 2452 Philadelphia St. The store is huge, and offers so many accessories and articles of clothing. Whether you’re going to be a pirate, a hippie, or even a slice of pizza, there is bound to be something there that can contribute to your costume in some way.
Goodwill: This thrift store is located between McDonald’s and Papa Johns right on Oakland Ave. Try to get here a few days before Halloweekend, because the store is guaranteed to be packed. Along with their many clothing options, there are even some costumes in it’s own designated rack during this time of year. So get there fast, before everyone gets the same idea.
St. Vincent De Paul Society: This local thrift store, located at 410 N. 4th St. is a bit tinier than Goodwill and Salvation Army but it’s also a little more formal. There are suits, dresses, ties, and pretty much anything you’d want to wear if you were going to an interview. If you’re going to dress as a professional, a teacher, or somethin’ classy, this is the thrift store you might want to check out.
Other thrift stores in Indiana are: Mine and Mom’s Resale Shop, located at 1497 Philadelphia St., and Wired, located at 419 Philadelphia St.
The Costume Shop. Located at 33 N. 6th St., this vintage little shop is strictly a local family owned Indiana store. This place opened in 1985 and looks like a costume shop straight out of the movies. It has narrow walkways, with glass displays in the center of the store, and contains hundreds of masks, hats, and other miscellaneous accessories that line the walls. Not only can you buy costumes from this place, but also there are nearly 3,000 costume rentals to choose from.
October hours for the store are Monday through Friday 10 a.m to 6 p.m., and everything is currently half off.
Have fun building your costume! For three nights of outfits, you could spend just as much as you would if you had bought one costume from a quintessential, mainstream, overpriced Halloween Store.