The Last-Minute Monster Mash
Halloween has a talent for arriving faster than expected. Luckily, Tennessee has plenty of places to turn “I have nothing to wear” into something convincing before October 31.
Start With the Costume Emergency
Spirit Halloween has seasonal stores across Tennessee, including locations in Clarksville, Cookeville, Jackson, Kingsport, Knoxville, Murfreesboro, Nashville and other communities. Costumes for kids and adults share space with wigs, masks, makeup, props and accessories, which helps when the idea is solid but the execution is still mostly theoretical.
In Hendersonville, Ultimate Party Super Store carries costumes for infants through adults along with wigs, masks, makeup, capes, wings and plenty of other pieces for building a look from scratch. Curbside pickup is available at the Hendersonville store, a useful detail when October 31 is getting uncomfortably close.
Chattanooga-area shoppers have another longtime option at Beauty and the Beast Costumes in Red Bank. The shop has served local costume, makeup and accessory needs since 1989, which is considerably longer than most of us have been promising ourselves we would plan Halloween earlier next year.
Renting Can Save the Day
Cookeville’s Spotlight Costumes takes a different approach with hundreds of rental costumes and a team of seamstresses who can make adjustments. Its inventory spans looks from Medieval and Renaissance styles to French court fashion and the Roaring ’20s, making it a good option when the goal is something more elaborate than cat ears and black eyeliner.
That is the encouraging thing about last-minute costume shopping. A full head-to-toe character can still happen, but it does not have to. Sometimes one strong piece does the work: the right hat, a convincing wig, a cape, a mask or makeup that makes the rest of the outfit suddenly make sense.
Halloween may be close, but Tennessee shoppers still have options well beyond whatever happens to be hanging in the closet.
For more Tennessee shops worth knowing when a last-minute mission is underway, browse the Guide to Tennessee shopping directory at https://www.guidetotennessee.com/shopping.
