Dress For Scary Halloween Success

If you are planning on being scary this Halloween, you might as well do it right. Halloween is serious business at The Fright Factory, 16033 Tampa Palms Blvd., and a spooky staff of costume creatives has been transforming kids, moms and entire families into creepy characters since 2007.

A big-box store of costumes, accessories, makeup and everything else required to frighten your neighbors, The Fright Factory is family owned and hires art and theater types with costume-design backgrounds to supplement a seasonal business that opened nearby in late August.

You will find Harry Potter, Captain America and plenty of saucier outfits destined for late-night parties. Pirates are always big in Tampa. And zombies lurk all over the store. But store manager Michele Musial specializes in unique, one-of-a-kind costumes not found in corporate chains. Like a fashion buyer, Musial hits the Halloween & Party Expo every January in Houston, bringing back the latest trends and freaky surprises -- even a full line of dog costumes.

Have Halloween block? Musial and her consultants will whip a prize-winning costume together on the fly. “Come in and we’ll come up with something awesome,” said Musial. And if you view Halloween as a one-time thing and don’t want to break the bank, The Fright Factory promises an affordable upgrade to your do-it-yourself hobo ensemble.

Trends exist for Halloween buyer behavior, too. Musial has been moving her pop-up shop from Tampa Bay storefront to storefront for five years, with stops in Clearwater, Citrus Park and Oldsmar. She has noticed the kids, based on sizing needs, get fitted first. Men wait until the last minute. But women, not willing to wear the same costume twice, are The Fright Factory’s most passionate customers.

Seems women like to accessorize.

“A costume is not a costume without the accessories,” said Musial. Based on experience, Musial notes the most in-demand accessory is timeless. “The woman’s best accessory is a man in a matching costume,” said Musial.

The Fright Factory advertises impulsive deals and new shipments on Facebook. Other Halloween events are posted, too.

But for most Tampa residents Halloween doesn’t last forever. Like loading up on Christmas ornaments in January, the store celebrates its closing the weekend of Nov. 2 with surplus stock available for half-price.

Halloween has evolved beyond just jack-o’-lanterns and apple bobbing. Everybody needs a good costume fix to maximize holiday horror, and The Fright Factory is stocked to scare.

More Information

Address: 16033 Tampa Palms Blvd. (Tampa Palms Publix plaza)
Hours of Operation: Mondays through Saturdays: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.;
Sundays: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Web: thefrightfactoryonline.com