Top Halloween Costume Stores in New York City

If the outlandishly dressed people I see on the street on my way to work are any indication, every day is Halloween in NYC. Costume shops abound in New York City and are open year round, so I can only assume they're being kept in business by the crazies. However, those of us who prefer to dress up only on October 31 may be tempted to make our own Halloween costumes rather than shelling out big bucks for a store-bought costume. Lucky for us, there are plenty of costume shops that offer a great selection of fun costumes for the right price.

New York Costumes
Located at 104 4^th Ave. at 11^th St. (800-995-8679), New York Costumes takes up an entire city block. This means they have space for an enormous inventory of costumes, not to mention dress-up accessories like masks, wigs, weapons, prosthetics and even costumes for pets! The sheer volume of costumes is overwhelming - a trip to New York Costumes can take a full day. However, you're sure to find any costume you can imagine, plus a few that you couldn't imagine if you tried. They also have a website and offer fast delivery at a very reasonable price. Their costumes range in price from $25 for a simple nurse's outfit to $500 or more for rental quality costumes.

Creative Costume
Not just a Halloween store - Creative Costume, located at 242 W. 36^th St., 8^th Fl. (212-564-5552) is the place for people who are serious about quality costumes. They offer a huge variety of rental quality costumes available for every occasion and season, including period costumes (perfect for madrigal groups or carolers), dance costumes and even sci-fi costumes for all your Star Trek convention needs. They will also design and make costumes to order, and alter rentals to fit. Their rental prices range from $50 to $300 for 48 hours, which can be a real bargain when it comes to elaborate costumes.