Journal photo / Connie Grosch
More people are dressing their pets for Halloween, particularly dogs, who can don this Giddy Up Lil' Doggie costume from Halloween Express in Swansea Mall. Shopping for a traditional costume for herself is Alexia Whittle of Fall River.
Man's best friend saved Cheryl Rubenstein's business.
The terrorist attacks in 2001 decimated her seasonal Halloween
enterprise.
Rubenstein and her husband, Eric, ran seven stores that catered to the
growing number of Americans who see Halloween as a holiday to be
celebrated with the same vigorous spending as Thanksgiving or
Valentine's Day. The customers were the types who not only buy costumes
for themselves but fake gravestones for their yards and pumpkin-shaped
lantern lights for their doorways.
The tragedy that befell the nation that September left few people in the
mood for ghoulish pretendings.
"We got really hurt by 9/11; we had seven stores open and we got
crushed," said Rubenstein, owner of Costumes Inc., of Rehoboth. "We were
hundreds of thousands in debt."
But for some reason, people didn't mind dressing up their pets as a way
to break the somber tone, she said. The couple had been selling a few
pet costumes through one of their Web sites -- "you couldn't keep
antlers in stock," she said.
"We turned to this little pet site that was just piddling along and said
'We have to make this our business now'," she said.
At first, it was a bride and groom set that sold, then Santa Paws and
Santa's helper. Now it's Buzz Lightyear, Batman, Spider-Man and other
licensed characters. The sales kept money coming in at a time when they
had just adopted three children, she said, and gave them time to rebuild
the business.
They now have a store in the Swansea Mall, but they sell most of their
costumes and props through a set of Web sites.
PET COSTUMES make up 10 percent of their sales.
Rubenstein's business benefits from the convergence of two consumer
trend lines -- people are spending more on Halloween each year and pet
owners are shelling out more to pamper their animals.
The National Retail Federation, based in Washington, D.C., predicts that
Halloween spending this year will reach an estimated $3.12 billion, up
from $2.96 billion last year. (About $2 billion of that will be spent on
candy, according to the National Confectioners Association, of Vienna,
Va.)
A recent report issued by the American Pet Products Manufacturer
Association, noted that in 10 years, consumer spending on pets has
doubled, from $17 billion in 1994 to a projected $34.3 billion for 2004.
The association says people spend 60 percent more on pet products than
they do on toys for their children and 33 percent more than on candy.
Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, in Stevens, Pa., said 80
percent of pet owners bought "extras" for their dogs, ranging from
plastic balls to $150 cashmere sweaters.
To be sure, pet clothing is a small part of Halloween spending, about 4
percent of the costume market, according to Alan Geller, executive vice
president of Easter Unlimited Inc./Funworld, of Carle Place, N.Y. The
company supplies costumes and other non-food Halloween items to
retailers around the country.
But, Geller said, the number of retailers selling costumes destined for
Sparky's backside grows yearly.
"They all have a selection for pets," Geller said. "The favorite for us
is Super Dog." The costume is patterned after the design of "Krypto," a
short-lived character that Warner Bros. included in the Supmerman
cartoon series. "It's truthfully selling across the country."
Shawn Underwood, a spokesman for Petco, of San Diego, agreed that the
sales continue to grow. "It's a little bit more every year. The majority
of our stores sell out of the costumes well before Halloween."
THE TREND has spilled into that other October staple: the Halloween
party. Chains such as Petco and independents such as Park Ave Puppy's,
on Spruce Street in Providence, will host pet costume parties on Oct. 30.
At Park Ave, the dogs will feast on specially made goodies from the
Barkery, a related business that makes dog treats, according to owner
Susanna Barrett. Her customers aren't balking at paying $26 or $32 for a
costume, depending on the dog's size, Barrett said.
"They're not like the plastic CVS costumes," she said. "If you're going
to do this to the dog at least let him be comfortable."
Barrett has already taken orders for 100 costumes, and expects to sell
about 220 altogether before the end of the month.
There are ladybug costumes for the pooch pups, alligators suits for the
gruff growlers and sports jerseys for the manly dogs.
Rubenstein, of Costumes Inc., said a popular movie starring Will Smith
and Tommy Lee Jones has provided her company with it's biggest seller.
"I can't keep Men in Black in stock. We couldn't get more from the
vendor."
While dog owners are cash in the bank for pet stores that sell costumes,
cat lovers are another matter.
Few felines will allow more than a studded collar on their necks. You
can pretty much forget about that French maid costume.
"My cats aren't very cooperative," Rubenstein said.
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