Buffalo Rising Online

Oct 24th 2007, 7:34pm By queenseyes

When it comes to costume construction, D.C. Theatricks is 'the goods'. While biking down Main Street this evening I was caught off-guard by a roaming Frankenstein, who was more than helpful in directing me to his creators. When I say 'creators' I am not exaggerating. When I walked into the Main Street business I was told that the costumes that I was looking at were all created by hand... custom made so to speak. That was why the wandering Frank had looked so 'put together'.

Owners of D.C. Theatricks, Dave and Lynn DeJac, have been in business on Main Street since 1981. In that time the business has gone from a magic shop to a costume paradise. "It all started off when someone walked into the magic shop and asked to rent the magician's cape," Lynn told me. "That's when we decided that we should start to rent costumes. We purchased a bunch of costumes from a shop that was closing down the street, and then we were in business. The majority of our rentals and sales are for theatrical purposes, but every Halloween people come to look for fun characters that they know will be comfortable, well made, and unique. If you think about Halloween costumes, most people purchase their outfits at temporary stores that come up to Buffalo to make a fast buck before leaving. We're a local business that keeps the money in the community."

I asked Lynn what the best selling costumes were this season to which she answered, "The guys are buying Roman Centurions and pirates. The girls are going as Cleopatras, Renaissance period women, and pirate wenches... they love wearing the corset for a night. We alter the sizes for free since the costumes are made like real garments (for theatre shows). The making of the costumes sounded intriguing, so Dave gave me a quick tour of the production room downstairs. "We make custom orders for theatre companies around the world," he explained. "Some of our clients and events range from Disney parades, the Beauty and the Beast production... we've even filled an order for a 1776 show at the Vatican in Rome... I thought that was a prank at first, but it turned out to be for real. And you know the Captain Morgan character? Well, we make the costumes for the company that sends The Captain to places all over the world. As a matter of fact, most of the business that we do is with theatre companies outside of Buffalo... all around the world."

If you are still looking for a costume for Halloween, don't be afraid to stop into D.C. Theatricks. It's there that you can say 'hi' to Frank's creators... or the creator of the plant in Little Shop of Horrors... or... actually, there are so many racks and racks of costumes that it would be impossible to list them all. Oh, and the last time I saw Frank, he was on his was to Chippewa to look for a Mrs. Frank... so watch out.

D.C. Theatricks is located at747 Main Street (yes, the drivable and parkable section). They have costumes and make-up and masks and accessories... some for sale and some for rental. 716.847.0180

Bottom photo: Bret Runyon poses with his Little Shop of Horror plant puppet

Production photo: Doug Caskay, Margaret Browning with Debbie Knoll in the background