As Halloween approaches, New Orleans residents rush to local shops to put together last-minute costumes for the big night.
At Ghost Manor on Magazine Street, a popular haunted attraction, people gathered Monday night to enjoy a frightful experience before Halloween. Earlier in the day, costume shops across the city saw a surge of shoppers searching for the perfect outfit.
“We’re a very last-minute city,” said Claudia Baumgarten, owner of Miss Claudia’s Vintage Clothing and Costumes.
Trey Morse, visiting from Atlanta, managed to pull off a “Dexter” costume just in time.
“I already have the iconic Dexter shirt. It’s like a green button-down long sleeve, and I got his hair, but I had to get these pants he wears, like, these cargo green pants right here,” Morse said. “I enjoy going to vintage stores, and I think that makes the experience a little more fun and it’s more .”
At Uptown Costume & Dancewear, customers also embraced the thrill of last-minute shopping.
“I’m always last minute. It’s just the way I am,” last-minute shopper Met Salih said. “I have costumes, obviously, because I live in New Orleans, but I don’t want to reuse them … I’ve bought stuff online before, but it’s nice to see everyone around, and it’s just a buzz, you know?”
Others opted for simple yet effective costumes.
“I’ve got this cool mesh shirt and maybe some kind of black hat and a Mardi Gras mask. It’s going to be pretty simple, but I think it’ll do the trick,” customer Bart Rankin said. “We’ll come in often last minute and put something together, and it’s worked every year for us.”
Baumgarten emphasized the importance of sustainability in costume shopping.
“We don’t want clothes to wind up in the landfill. We want people to be able to reuse them, keep them in their costume closet, share them with friends, pass them on, and all of those kinds of things,” she said.
Ghost Manor is open Friday and Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m., offering locals one last chance to experience the award-winning attraction.
READ MORE:New Orleans residents rush for last-minute Halloween costumes
