Party’s over for costume institution
It’s hard to be grumpy when you’re choosing pirate clothes.
For Gemma Freeman, the best part about running her Wellington costume business has been making people happy; something that’s not too hard given the circumstances.
After all, people come to costume shops because there’s something fun happening; you don’t tend to wear a pirate costume for something sad.
‘‘People are always happy when they come in here. Dressing up makes you happy.’’
After 25 years of kitting out the capital, Freeman’s business The Costume Company is closing and she’s selling everything – about 8000 items – in a six-week sale.
While the Willis St building’s lease was up, the loss of the annual Sevens tournament and the rise of cheap, online stores had helped make the decision to close.
Freeman bought the business seven years ago and the changes had been rapid; the region had become over-saturated with costume shops.
She hoped the decision to sell her stock individually would help the businesses left.
‘‘We did think we were going to be sad but people are falling in love with things that we got used to looking at every day.’’
Some customers had bought costumes they had hired over the years, while others had shopped for everyday wear.
‘‘They’re re-purposing the costumes into Wellington fashion, it’s a truly Wellington thing.’’
Despite closing her business, Freeman believed there would always be a need for costume shops, although they would have to battle with the cheap, single-wear costumes available online.
‘‘Younger generations tend to like the idea of buying things from the web and wearing it once. It goes against the whole idea of recycling and conservation.’’
In January, Nichole Devine closed the shop her Lower Hutt business, Jesters Costume Hire, had run out of for more than 30 years and moved online.
It was a move that had worked well, she said. ‘‘There will always be a need for costume shops but you have to adapt.’’
Retail NZ spokesman Greg Hartford said costume hire businesses were under pressure and needed to evolve to meet changing customer demand and the competition from online operators.