In pursuit of a top hat to complete his Abe Lincoln costume, Dylan Kario, CC ’15, spent his fair share of time waiting in lines at Ricky’s costume stores this past weekend.
Halloween is the busiest time of the year for Ricky’s, a costume superstore with an outlet on Broadway between 113th and 114th streets, which often sees its sales skyrocket as customers scramble to get outfits for the holiday.
“Halloween is our biggest season,” assistant manager Indigo Robinson said. “We make almost double the amount we would make on a regular day.”
This Ricky’s location—there are 14 in Manhattan—made over $10,000 a day just within the past week, according to Robinson.
The store first put out costumes in early October, but Robinson said that customers increased as Halloween weekend approached, with lines forming outside just to get inside the store.
Kario said he had to visit three different Ricky’s locations around the city to get what he wanted.
“The cashiers had really long lines,” Kario said. “The area to the downstairs had a line … that went all the way up the stairs. At one point, the cashier line was out the front door.” He said that each line was a five-to-ten-minute wait.
The congestion was made more severe by increased security measures, with guards stationed at the front and back of the store for crowd control.
Customers who were patient enough to wait in line were rewarded: only 30 people were allowed downstairs at a time, allowing patrons the space to explore the variety of superheroes and gore costumes and masks.
Even with dozens of local elementary school age students trick-or-treating on Monday, college students still had the greatest presence at the Ricky’s near campus.
Robinson said that she estimates around 60 percent of those customers this week were Columbia students.
Throughout the year, students shop there for basic necessities, ranging from shampoo to nail polish, but during Halloween, students flock to Ricky’s for their costumes and accessories all hours of the day.
“People have parties,” Robinson said. “People were coming in at 11 o’clock at night buying costumes.”
Even a snow storm Saturday didn’t stop people from waiting out in the cold.
“We still had a huge crowd,” Robinson said. “Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were our busiest days ever.”
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