With Halloween only a few days away, many students are still scavenging for costumes. If you are out of costume ideas, the Enchanted Cellar may be the place for you.
The Enchanted Cellar, located in 17 Wright, rents out used costumes from the UC Davis department of theatre and dance, with a 50 percent discount for UC Davis students, staff and affiliates and 20 percent off for the Davis community.
It is open for Halloween costume fittings all this week from 3 to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The selection is pretty good. I wouldn’t have thought of all these different types of costumes,” said Olivia Terry, a junior psychology major.
The rental shop features many characters from various popular movies including Star Wars, Harry Potter and The Wizard of Oz. There are also the traditional Halloween costumes, such as witches, vampires and fairies, and historical get-ups from Greece, Rome and Egypt.
The Cellar often runs out of some popular costumes early, but many are currently available.
Roxanne Femling, the costume shop director, said the most popular costumes tend to be Indiana Jones and Anthony and Cleopatra.
“[However,] some costumes might not be for everybody’s taste,” Femling said, referring to a Naruto costume that has been rarely used.
“The average cost of a [student] set rental is $40 to $50, which includes the dry cleaning fee. The small dry cleaning fee depends on the garment,” Femling said.
The most expensive and elaborate costumes, such as Batman and Darth Vader (including the voice box), are $200 to rent without the student discount. The price of a costume set includes all its accessories, such as wigs, hats and swords. Individual pieces are available for as little as $5. Children’s costumes, which are sometimes used by adults, are $25, Femling said.
Terry, who rented a Harem girl costume, said she likes her costume because it’s all-inclusive and within a student’s budget.
“[It’s] pretty nice because it’s cheap. It’s one price and I don’t have to buy everything separately,” she said.
Other local Halloween stores, such as Halloween City, provide costumes for purchase, but Femling believes the Enchanted Cellar has something different to offer costume shoppers.
“Lots of other Halloween stores will have some of the same stuff but ours is better quality,” Femling said.
Last year, over 100 UC Davis students and almost 20 Davis residents rented from The Enchanted Cellar.
Louis Curiel, a sophomore neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and employee at the costume rental shop, said renting from the Cellar ensures you have a memorable costume.
“They are like professional costumes from the drama department, so you know you’re getting quality.”
Customers are encouraged to make an appointment because it gives them the chance to reserve a fitting room and you the full attention of the staff.
“[Making an appointment was] easy. I called [and] they had good availability, and a nice and attentive staff,” Terry said.
Luis Curiel agreed and said renting is easy, as long as you know where it is in the basement. The shop is located in the lower level of Wright hall. The on-campus location is central and convenient, especially for first-year students without cars.
While The Enchanted Cellar rents head-to-toe costumes, they do not sell them. To rent, customers will need to make a deposit and sign a contract saying that they are responsible for the damages, Femling said.
If an outfit is damaged, customers will be charged the deposit. The rental period is through Nov. 4 or 5 and customers will be charged if it is not returned.
The Enchanted Cellar at UC Davis is open year-round. Appointments for fittings can be made anytime by phone 752-0740 or by e-mail at rcfleming@ucdavis.edu.
GRACE BENEFIELD can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
