So it’s getting to be Halloween crunch time with less than a week togo before the big day. As much as I personally love Halloween, I mustadmit that I wait until the last two weeks or so to complete myoutfit nearly every year.
You can’t walk a block these days without hitting one of thosestorefront Halloween shops taking up residence lately. And whilethat’s certainly a best bit if you are look for a specific kind ofpre-made costume like a Kate Gosslein wig or a Barack Obama mask. Butif you tend to lean DIY in your Halloween costume approach, like I dothere are a few great places to pick up Halloween costume essentialsfor cheap.While one would think that the Belmont Army Surplus, 855 W. Belmont, would be ideal for Halloween shopping (and indeed, the 3 and 4th floors have a decent selection of resale/vintage dresses, suits and pants and actual army stuff) I was shocked at just how pricey many of their offerings were (at least for resale stuff, we’re talking $15 -$20 for a decent dress) and the selection was definitely more functional than costume oriented.
I highly recommend heading up the street to the old standby of Halloween shopping, Ragstock, 812 W. Belmont, or check out the one in Wicker Park, 1433 N. Milwaukee. These folks understand potential income generating opportunities and it seems they go out of their way to stock up for the season with tons of great accessories, wigs, sunglasses, fake fur coats, stockings and such for cheap. And most importantly, the selection is made for one-off Halloween fun: Kanye West shades, pink wigs and the like. I feel like even the most off-the-wall costume shoppers will find what they are looking for here.
If you’re at the Belmont Ragstock looking for a vintage costume and do want to invest a little more into your Halloween outfit, head downstairs to Hollywood Mirror, located in the same building. The prices for the quality vintage stuff is a little more, but if you are someone who likes that style then it’s totally worth it.
If you are looking for high quality wigs or fake eyelashes, for sure check out Beatnix, 3440 N. Halsted. It’s also a great costume stop, with reasonable prices. A few years ago I found an awesome '70s era jumpsuit there that scored me $50 at a costume party.
These are no-brainers when it comes to Halloween shopping in Chicago, but in my many years as a Chicago-based Halloween enthusiast, you really can’t go wrong with any of these places, even if you want till the 11th hour to put together a costume, these places won’t let you down.
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Keidra Chaney
Native Chicagoan, writer/web geek, bass player and full - time fangirl. dedicated to killing IE6 by 2010. More
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