BEST BUYS -- greer wylder

With Halloween creeping up, costume decision-making is even more crucial.

Finding the right costume is simple at the Costume Connection. The adult

rental shop carries hundreds of pre-made costumes that helps take the

hassle out of making a costume. Daily rentals vary depending on how

elaborate the costume is; the price range is $35 to $150. The selection

is extraordinary. The costume shop is filled with buccaneers, cavaliers,

three musketeers, Queen Elizabeth, super heroes, suits of armor

(replicas), storm troopers, renaissance period, and basics like pumpkins,

clowns, fairy godmothers and witches. Store hours are Monday through

Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m.

to 4 p.m. The hours will be extended as Halloween gets closer. The

Costume Connection (949) 650-7279 is at 1812 Newport Blvd., Unit B, in

Costa Mesa.

Hi-Time Wine Cellar is well-known for having the best in candies for

holidays at its Hi-Time Chocolatier. For Halloween there is a big

selection of candy corn, caramels, pumpkin, ghost, and skeleton chocolate

suckers, plus Gumi spiders and worms. For party decorations there are

latex and Mylar balloons. There’s currently a special on Jelly Bellies at

$4.50 a pound. There are also gift baskets and Thanksgiving merchandise.

If your vacuum cleaner ever goes on the fritz, you’ll want to take it to

the best repair shop possible. Newport Vacuum is just the place for

top-quality repairs. The repairmen at Newport Vacuum are experts at all

types of machines and they can fix all problems. The shop also sells new

and used vacuums, and repairs sewing machines. It’s at 1808 Newport Blvd.

in Costa Mesa.

If you’re planning a party, Alaskan Ice & Beverage is an ideal place to

pick up ice in all forms, beverages and for special effects on Halloween,

dry ice. Alaskan Ice offers a delivery service, and if you’re packing and

shipping foods, it’s a great place to buy dry ice. It’s at 1834 Newport

Blvd. in Costa Mesa. Call (949) 646-1932 for more information.

Tutor Time Child Care/Learning Center is having a special on fall

registration. Any child enrolled before Dec. 31 receives free

registration, regularly $75, if you mention this Best Buys column. Tutor

Time has a state-of-the-art facility in Newport Beach and is geared

toward children up to 12 years old. There are individual learning centers

for math, science, language arts, small and large manipulative, creative

art, and there’s a computer lab and library. Other features of the

program are multipurpose rooms used for music, dance, rhythm, gymnastics

and exercise in Tutor Time Village, a large two-story play structure

resembling a small town. Tutor Time is at 1550 Bristol St. in Newport

Beach and can be reached at (949) 955-2672.

A Halloween extravaganza is happening from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29

at the Community Youth Center at Grant Howald Park, at 5th and Iris in

Corona del Mar. Included in the festivities are creepy costume contests.

The first, for kids under 5 years old, begins at 4 p.m.; for kids 5 to 8

years old, the contest starts at 4:15 p.m.; and for kids 9 to 12 years

old, it starts at 4:30 p.m. There will also be carnival games, and

strolling performers for entertainment.

The Tire Station, at 475 E. 17th St. in Costa Mesa, is having a sale on

five different lines of Firestone tires. They range in price from four

for $59, with a 35,000-mile limited warranty, to a tire for $52.99 for a

60,000-mile limited warranty. The sale lasts through Oct. 30. There are

also other specials going on inside the store, including an oil change

and filter special for $14.99 and a free Leatherman super tool (a $76

value) with the purchase of four Bridgestone Dueler A/T or M/T tires with

Uni-T.

Saeilo Motors of Costa Mesa is celebrating its grand opening at 375

Bristol St. Saeilo Motors is new to our area, but it’s well known as a

Japanese car specialist in different parts of the country, including New

York, New Jersey, Chicago and Houston. Saeilo offers complete auto

service and a unique membership repair service. Membership benefits

include a free general checkup twice a year, free oil change three times

a year, free cooling system checkup and coolant change once a year, free

pick-up/delivery of your car, and 24-hour towing (within 10 miles). The

phone number is (714) 751-1796.

* BEST BUYS is published Thursdays and Saturdays. If you know of a good

buy, send a fax to (949) 646-4170 or write to Daily Pilot, Best Buys, 330

W. Bay St., Costa Mesa 92627.