Business: Disguises
Address: 9797 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood
Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily and Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Founded: 1992
Contact: 303-462-0401, disguisescostumes.com
Employees:35
Interview with Todd Belanger, owner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: We had always dreamed of owning our own business, and had been looking for the right one for a long time. When Disguises became available we thought that it could be the right fit for us. The previous owner was ready to retire. We have always loved Halloween and costuming. We purchased the business in April of 2015.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Disguises is a unique business. Itap really three businesses in one. Each is focused on costuming in a different way. The retail store features tens of thousands of items ranging from budget friendly costumes and accessories, to professional quality items such as makeup and wigs. We have experts on staff year round to assist our customers. No pop up Halloween store can compete with our selection of product, and knowledgeable staff. The rental department features hundreds of thousands of vintage and high end costumes. Many of the items have been hand made here, on site. There literally is an endless number of costumes that can be created from our enormous stock. Renting is a great option for many people. Itap hard to beat how good you’ll look in real clothing. And, we can alter many items to fit you perfectly. Renting is also a green option. Many times people only need a costume for one event. If you rent you’ll look great at your event, and there is no waste. The third department at Disguises is theater. This is the least visible to the public, as all the work takes place in the back rooms of the store. Where costumes for full theater productions are assembled. We have theater customers from every corner of Colorado, and the U.S.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: The best thing about working at Disguises is helping customers put together great costumes. It really is fun to help someone’s vision come to life. We have so many unique accessories and articles of clothing to choose from that we can help you put together any costume. Itap great to see the expression on a customer’s face when you help them take their costume to the next level. Weather itap a period appropriate hat, jewelry, a realistic weapon or a wig that can be heat styled, we have the items that will make you a hit at your party.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: The biggest challenge that our business has is competing with pop up stores at Halloween. There are more and more each year, but we know that Disguises offers a much larger selection and higher quality products. Not to mention our expert year round staff that can assist you. Our prices are inline with our competition. With a pop up Halloween store on nearly every corner itap easy for our customers to forget about us. We know that it will be well worth a few minutes of your time to come to Disguises. We can’t always be the closest, but we can always be the best. On Nov. 1 when everyone else is packing up, Disguises is getting ready for Christmas.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
:People might be surprised to learn that we have a tree inside our store. The tree houses our black light dressing room. People might also be surprised to learn that we have a theme each Halloween. We decorate our windows, and make a seasonal t-shirt around this theme. This year the theme is a spooky carnival, inspired by the classic novel “Something Wicked This Way Comes.”