WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?
Costume shops offer unique attire for sale, rent
Stores find risqué, original Halloween outfits popular with college students
BY MATT LINDBERG
mlindberg@kansan.com
As Oct. 31 approaches, the hunt is on for students to find the perfect attire for Halloween festivities. Costumes shops in Lawrence are appealing to students' tastes by offering a variety of spooky and shocking outfits for sale or rent.
Spirit Halloween, 3140 Iowa St., is a seasonal store which reopened its doors in September. Alex Munoz, a Spirit Halloween clerk, said the store had received good business so far.
"We have been getting a lot of customers from the start, from young kids to parents and older adults," Munoz said. "But we sell mostly to college students."
Munoz said kids tended to buy scary masks, such as a monsters or goblins, while risqué costumes were popular with college students.
"There is a lot of interest in dressing as a Playboy bunny." Munoz said. He said the Playboy outfits had
been popular with both genders and thought they had always been top sellers in years past.
Todd Anderson, Hutchinson senior, who was shopping for a costume, said he thought the Playboy costumes would always be popular among females.
Fun & Games, 1601 W.23rd St., is open all year, and offers a variety of Halloween costumes. The family-owned store caters primarily to college students, but has plenty to offer children and adults as well.
"Last year looked like a Victoria's Secret model show because every girl I saw was wearing next to nothing," Anderson said.
Gwen Billings, Fun & Games employee, said the store prided itself on low prices and its large costume selection. Billings said the store offered customers more than 780 adult-sized costumes. He said popular costumes included police officer, pirate and Hawaiian outfits.
Renting a costume is also an option. Sarah's Fabrics, 925 Massachusetts St., specializes in fabric costumes for rent during the Halloween season. Kathy Barland, Sarah's Fabrics employee, said she thought her store offered more unique costumes than most stores in town. Barland said she thought students shoped at Sarah's because they wanted original costumes.
"I feel like our costumes are more than just something made out of plastic," Barland said. "Our costumes are more realistic, less imaginary. You could wear them for more than Halloween."
Anderson said stores that offered unique costumes attracted more customers.
Al Photo by Andrew Wacker JAWANSW
Lunt! Juni Gai, Gala, ASDN, S.D., snipnamiro, helps
Betty Beam, Tapete Sophie, up her costume at
Fun and Games on Wednesday. Halloween drapes are
keepy as the holiday draws near.
Near Right: Jenny McGee, Lawrence freshman, and Katie Cornellus, Leavenworth freshman, help Logan Matarien, Lawrence freshman, pick out a Halloween costume at Fun and Games. The costume shop is located at 1601 W.23rd St.
"Being able to be versatile about what you are selling will get you the most business," Anderson said.
Far Right: Kelly Flynn, Mt. Laurel, N.J., freshman, models her nurse costume in the mirror. College students make up most of the Halloween costume market in Lawrence.
- Edited by Elizabeth Cattell
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》 PANEL DISCUSSION
Student prefers person-first phrases
Angela Lindsey-Nunn, Salina senior, said her son often corrected people when they talked about his mother. She said he quickly chimed up if someone said she's epileptic. "No," he corrects. "She has epilepsy."
Lindsey-Nunn said she has a disability, but it does not define who she is.
"Look at all my other accomplishments," Lindsey-Nunn said.
Lindsey-Nunn participated in a panel
discussion yesterday afternoon in Kansas Union. The topics included women, disability and power.
FULL STORY PAGE 4A
》 STUDENT LIFE
Kacie McClusky and Katherine Moore, Overland Park sophomores, brought Halloween cheer to their neighborhood. To bring in the ghostly season, they put 13 light-up jack-o-lanterns on their roof and lights all over their house on 12th and Tennessee streets. The main attraction is the 8-foot-tall inflatable grim reaper.
Roommates bring Halloween to Tennessee Street
The girls spent about $300 on all the decorations. They said they wanted to go the extra mile this year because they wouldn't have the opportunity to when they were older.
"When we're adults in suburbs, everyone will be all conservative, and wed never be able to do this. So we thought, 'Why not'
now? Let's have fun."
McClusky and Moore's neighbors are enjoying the festive scene, often stopping by to look and pay compliments.
FULL STORY PAGE 10A
》 STUDENT SENATE
File sharing policy debate continues
Student Senate passed legislation last night to create a task force to work with KU administration to review the zero-tolerance file sharing policy.
The task force came after Senate failed a resolution asking KU administration to repeal that policy.
Ian Staples, student senator, said that the policy needs to be reviewed because 14 KU students are being sued because the University did not inform them they were being charged with illegal file sharing in a timely manner.
FULL STORY PAGE 3A
KANSAN.COM
Editors add two more blogs to Web Site
Today, The University Daily Kansan took another step toward expanding communication with our readership by launching two more blogs to supplement our existing sports blog. The first new one is written by Kansan management, consisting of Editor and Chief Erick R. Schmidt, Managing Editor Darla Slipke and me, also managing editor.
You can find our blog on Kansan.com under "Blogs," titled, "From the Grindhouse." On the blog, we'll discuss various news related topics or, quite frankly, whatever we want to say.
The second blog, also on Kansan.com, is "JayPlays," written by Jayplay Editor Jaime Netzer and Associate Editor Dani Hurst.
In management's first blog, I chose the topic of the unlucky individuals who stand by busy roads, holding signs for their job, such as Little Caesars. Here's an excerpt:
I think it's terrific how some Lawrence businesses are taking a page out of high school cheerleading car washes when it comes to advertising. Out with the new age of Internet
The Japlay editors write about entertainment, school, relationships, and in their first official blog, about a pesky white spot on Netzer's chest that won't go away and is poked fun at by many at the Kansan.
and television advertising and in with the Stone Age method of holding signs and waving madly. The humorous part of my day is looking at these poor souls' facial expressions as they stand, shoulders slouching, a sign hanging from their neck, their blank stares gazing across the road as they forcefully wave at the cars.
To read the rest, visit Kansan.com, go to "Blogs" and look for "From the Grindhouse." While you're there, don't forget to read "JayPlays" and learn about "white spots."
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Jorgensen is Kansan managing editor