Checking in with...Costume Connection:

Costume Connection doesn’t just connect you to characters from beyond — it’s a home to many spirits. The shop sits on the site of an old mortuary.

The shop moved to its new home about two years ago, and it has been a perfect match, said Julie Fitzgerald, the store’s owner. This is a very busy season for her and her husband, Bob, who after retiring from the electronics industry, became more involved with the store. Costume Connection, 110 Broadway, Costa Mesa, is not an ordinary Halloween costume store that sells packaged clothing. The store also rents out original and custom-made costumes. In fact, the business is reputed for its costume rentals.

Why are you in the costume business?

I was a screen extra in movies and shows since I was 19 years old and my mom was Maxine the story lady at Knott’s Berry Farm for many years. This has been part of my life for so long, I just absorbed it all.

How did you start out your business?

I started renting costumes from my home to school kids and then opened the store in 1993. You don’t find costume stores like ours around anymore, and there’s a need in our community because students do their history projects and they have to dress up in a time period and do book reports.

How does one go about renting out a costume?

We tell everyone that the front area of the store is the retail area. The rest of the store has complete rented outfits.

We have a book where the customers can see some of the costumes on people so they get an idea of what they want.

How many costumes do you have and how much is it to rent an outfit?

We have more than 5,000 costumes, and renting a costume runs from $65 to $150.

What kind of costumes do you have?

We have seven rooms. Each room has a theme. We have the international room, the Vegas show girls room. The 1850s to 1945 room has World War One and World War Two costumes.

We have 1920s Hollywood glamour and super heroes costumes. We have Titanic costumes, and costumes from the Victorian era.

There are so many different costumes.

Where do you get your costumes from?

I have a friend who I’ve known for 20 years and she sews beautifully and she can make you anything you want.

We also get them from trade shows and the custom costumes are getting better manufactured.