Tales from the Bates Motel Dressing Room

Not last year but the year before, I worked at a costume store in Denton called Rose Costumes. If you read this and try to transmit it to someone else make sure you call it “Rose Costumes” and not Rose’s Costumes or Judy, the former owner, will probably kill you. I mean, no, she wouldn’t kill you, but she would frown upon you. Anyways, the store has a new owner and she is the most amazing woman I have ever worked for. I don’t even know how to put my fascination with this woman into words. She runs this store as if it is her child, but she has an actual child whom she single-handedly raises, and he is one of the coolest kids. I’m getting off track, but anyways this store has been a Denton staple for decades. I think it might be surprising to consider how much I learned during my very brief time there. I was a temp during Halloween Season, and even though I was ready for it to be over long before my temporary season ended, I think that is why I wish more stories were told from Rose Costumes.

Yikes, that sounds like I didn’t like working there. I loved working there, it was an amazing experience, but I’m a writer who left an incredibly stressful job at Child Protective Services to a cushy desk job at North Central Texas College. I thought working at Rose Costumes would be an easy way to earn extra money, but I was incredibly off base. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a committed employee, when asked to do something I won’t argue, but the reason we need more stories is because the work these people do goes incredibly unrecognized. When I started during the Halloween Season, I was surprised to learn that the business majorly came from outfitting costumes for school productions and other types of performances instead of Halloween spectacles. The people who work there are meticulous in choosing the perfect pieces for each performance they are asked to consider. Typically, pieces are chosen in advance and then fitted when schools bring their performers to try on the costumes. I remember a few times when I helped with these, and you wouldn’t believe how calm the people who work at Rose Costumes are when surrounded by thirty children or more. I definitely didn’t stay calm, and I learned some real make it or break it skills during my time there. I recently reunited with one of the workers who helped me get the temp position (she’s also a friend who I have so much admiration for), and I was reminded about how quick witted workers have to be in supplementing costumes for children.

Another aspect of the job is learning what clothing belonged to particular time periods. This skill was something I was incredibly grateful to gain before starting in the English program. Looking back, I’m not really sure why they hired me. My friend must have said something encouraging because I barely know how to dress myself let alone a child who wants to be Benjamin Franklin for Historical Figure Day at school (to be fair, the day probably had a more creative title). But, I figured it out. The way the store is constructed is a narrative in and of itself. My first day, I was tasked with making a map of the store. I’m a horrible artist, and I took my map home and promptly recreated a better version. I learned the layout quickly, which helped me to at least direct people to the right section. My favorite section was the creepy clown and mascot area, which, as I recently confessed to my friend, was where I use to hide when I was overwhelmed because I knew people were too creeped out to spend too much time in it. (Followed by the elaborately decorated dressing rooms you have to see to believe)

One of the coolest parts of Rose Costumes was this backroom area where they held all of the coveted costumes. No section of Rose Costumes is off limits to customers, but you have to know where you’re going to find these special collections. I still think back to the beautiful pieces the store has to fit performances for the Lion King, the Little Mermaid, and Seussical the Musical (as well as many others). What if these costumes could talk? They wouldn't simply re-enact their character, they would spill the gossip about the actors who put them on.

When I met with my friend tonight, she told me so many stories about the experiences the people who worked there were having personally. Rose Costumes expects workers who are committed to the industry. The pace is fast and the stakes are high. Honestly, this store deserves a reality show. Imagine the drama actual drama students would create. How do they handle it when they run out of bolo ties (which I honestly didn’t know the name for until I worked there even though I’m from Texas- yikes)? They really do handle it though. There is nothing this store can’t create, and each piece offers a new narrative as do the people who work there. As I told my friend earlier, listening to her stories was one of the best times I have had in awhile. The stories from working there have drama, suspense, and cliffhangers that keep you wanting more. Each story is constructed with as much detail as the costumes themselves. In a way, as much as I wish more stories were told in and from the costume store, and I think I also wish the clothes themselves could tell the stories from their own perspective.