Shop Talk : Looks like Halloween
By Katryn Yerdon
Published: October 22, 2009
The chill is about to run through our veins as well as our bones. Halloween is next weekend and the Island is gearing up for a festival of spooky. If you are a kid, you'll be celebrating Halloween at the West Tisbury Library, the schools, or the Ag Hall and probably joining the masses in Vineyard Haven for a trick or treating extravaganza. (For more Halloween happenings, check out next week's Calendar of Events.) Any way you look at it, costumes and decorations will be needed.
To see if Islanders are in line with the latest Halloween costume trends, I decided to check top costume choices listed on Google: Michael Jackson, Harry Potter, Edward Cullen, and Bella Swan ("Twilight" series main characters), Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, Star Trek characters, zombies, G.I. Joe, Ninja, and Hermione Granger. The good news is that you can purchase the whole costume or the accessories needed to make all these costumes, and many more, right here on the Island.
Rose Bud's on Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs has a large selection of costumes, accessories, decorations, and even some Halloween baking options such as a Jack O' Lantern cake pan ($5.99) or Bobbling Cupcake Toppers (a six-pack for $2.99). Decorate your door with a full-sized blood-dripping plastic door cover ($4.49). For an alternative to candy, try the 72-piece favor bag ($19.49) filled with lip whistles, toy kazoos, clicker rings, along with glow in the dark lizards and bats. Some of the most unusual costumes are the Shark Attack (yup, your head and one arm comes out of the shark's mouth) or for the politically minded, Clinton, G.W. Bush, and Obama masks.
Shirley's Hardware on State Road in Vineyard Haven is the self-proclaimed Halloween Central. An entire side of the store is dedicated to all things Halloween. Their Flickering Solar Pumpkin ($14.99), the black light bulb ($1.89) and the Kid's Trick or Treat Flashlight ($3.99) with the choice of a bat, ghost, or cat shaped cover will light up the night. Various garlands ($2.99 to $4.99), metallic pumpkins, and cats along with fuzzy hanging spiders can transform your yard into a spooky wonderland. If you are looking to transform yourself for the night, do something as simple as spraying on hair color or picking up a wig (starting at $5.99), along with some make-up such as the Family Fun Set ($4.99). Add in a cape ($2.99 & up), angel wings ($9.99), a cat nose ($1.99), or a pitchfork and voila, you are good and scary to go. Shirley's has even thought of Fido. Dress up your dog in a pooch costume starting at $9.99.
Have a happy and safe Halloween, whatever you choose to do.
