Okay, so it's still not back in an attic, where it all began. But after eight years operating out of a strip mall on Packard, which, though it offered loads of parking and storage space, exuded only a fraction of the former downtown soul,
Fantasy Attic as we once knew it has returned. Repeat: It's BACK. It's funky, it's surreal, and this time it's all happening in
Ypsilanti's Depot Town.
Once upon a time...To many native Ann Arbor folk of a certain age, Fantasy Attic is remembered as a significant spot on earth, one that generated
Tim Burton-esq intrigue in the way the masks and blank faces below the orange and blue wigs gazed out at shoppers, or bits of fur escaping from crowded racks beckoned the curious into investigating.
Among the hanging racks of medieval costumes, between the glass cases of rubber wounds and inexpertly amputated body-parts, of mustaches and handcuffs, you could even find whoopee cushions and pepper gum. It was a place with a faint musty tinge, perched way atop a flight of exquisite, creaking stairs irresistible to any adventurous tot.
But this original location, and perhaps much of its mystery, departed downtown Ann Arbor in 2001 for a strip mall on Packard Road, moved on by the advent of the more profitable, and indubitably less creaky, loft apartment.
Ann Arbor's Monica Ladd founded and helmed Fantasy Attic at both the Main and Packard locations for well over two decades. She acquired the space on Main in 1989 when the former occupants, "Lucky Costumes" retired. Ladd had always loved theater and costuming, and the prospect of opening a costume shop appealed to her, though she now confesses to possessing little business sense at first.
"It was almost instant love: the first day I was open I earned $7.28. It didn't bode well for the future," says Ladd. "But I persisted and learned and grew it over time."
One creative promotion to stimulate business involved little wooden nickels given out at street level during Art Fair. These otherwise useless chips of wood would buy the holder a free popsicle if he or she ventured upstairs to the store -- a detail many who grew up in Ann Arbor still remember vividly.
Ladd always had a feel for detail and quality with all of her customers, whatever their age or need.
"Believe it or not, in the trade of rubber noses, there are levels of quality," laughs Ladd. "If a child comes in with $3 to spend, I want to give him the best I can give him for that money."
When condo development started, Ladd and Fantasy Attic had no choice but to find new digs.
"I would have stayed," she says, "but at that time Main Street didn't have vacancies. I miss Main Street, I always missed it. Leaving changed the tenor a bit."
The Packard location was certainly different, but had advantages, says Ladd. There was plenty of parking and storage space, and it felt more like a "real store." There was far less ‘just wandered in' traffic, though. It continued to grow and do well as a business, yet gone was the "enigma up the stairs", and the probability that a child would stumble in and "get excited about Halloween in April".
Last year, when Ladd decided it was time to wind up her involvement and semi-retire, (she wants to spend her time giving back to the community that gave her so much) she sold the store to long time employee and manager Bill Brennan. Brennan, who had worked with Ladd for over 13 years, and whom Ladd refers to as "like a son," already knew the business inside out and wanted to keep it alive.
The epic continuesThe change of ownership also fueled the change in location. Tired of various maintenance shortcomings at the Packard spot, Brennan moved Fantasy Attic to a prime storefront in Depot Town at 19 East Cross Street, returning it to a place where foot traffic could once again "wander in."
Bill Brennan is originally from Detroit and now lives in Ypsilanti. He was hired in at Fantasy Attic in 1986, having answered an ad in the now-defunct
Ann Arbor News. Over time, he accumulated more responsibilities, assisting Ladd and being "her buffer" so that when he finally purchased the store in 2009, the transition was smooth. (Both Ladd and Brennan admit that he calls her for the odd bit of a "How do I…?" shop-talk now and then.) And when he saw the current space available, he jumped on it, he says.
Walk into the Fantasy Attic of Depot Town today and you'll find yourself in a quiet shop, surrounded by racks and tiers of the expected and unexpected: feather boas, pirate hats, belts and swords, eye-patches and wigs fill every space. On the walls: costumes, masks, strange noses - more than your mind can take in all at once. In one adjacent room: racks of hand-made costumes for rent go from floor to ceiling. In the other: more costumes, accoutrements, and a counter of professional stage makeup. Note: Anyone with a clown phobia should probably stay away.
According to Brennan, Halloween is his biggest season. But there are also the Christmas (Santas, elves), Easter (Bunnies, roman soldiers, assorted apostles) and Mardi Gras (masks, beads) seasons. Local high schools, universities, and businesses rely on him for costumes, as do those from farther afield (Brennan gets business from Mackinac Island and the western-most side of the state). In at least one case Brennan and a "kick-ass seamstress" member of staff filled an order by making a costume themselves.
And during all seasons Brennan and his Fantasy Attic staff labor to supply a steady parade of parties. These run the gamut from theme parties (Star Wars, Medieval Renaissance), "How to Host a Murder Mystery" and more.
LARPers keep Fantasy Attic busy as well. For the uninitiated, a "LARPer" is a live action role player, who re-enacts or enacts medieval and renaissance culture, complete with battles. These require elaborate costumes as well as props like swords.
"One of the ways we're branching out is to carry more vintage, anime,
Loligoth (a Japanese trend transplant referring to romance + innocence) and
Steampunk items," says Brennan. "And although some things can be revealing, our view is that it's sexy, not skanky," he laughs.
Indeed, Fantasy Attic's continued search for what's hot is one of the reasons the store is still such a success. Elsewhere in Michigan, specialty costume stores have been falling one after the other. "The economy is killing Michigan costume shops," he says, rattling off a list of formerly respected specialty costume stores that have gone under or consolidated locations. Part of the problem is cheap competition offered in the form of Targets, WalMarts, and temporary Halloween warehouses.
"Halloween is the second largest holiday behind Christmas," he says. "Everyone wants a piece of that action." But Brennan says the large stores don't hurt his business as much as they might.
"What we're doing is a little different, so that kind of competition doesn't hurt as much as it could: They are selling to the lowest common denominator price-wise, whereas I'm trying to be a) high end, b) funky and c) different. Fantasy Attic is a specialty store. If you need cool stuff, you are going to come here or go to some other mom and pop costume store that has unusual items."
A new kingdomFantasy Attic has benefited from the recent move, says Brennan, and so has he. "I love the Depot Town scene. Everyone is pretty cool, everyone knows each other, and there's a good police presence."
Brennan believes that Fantasy Attic benefits from the parking situation, which affords street parking most of the time, and offers more space at nearby Frog Island. He also likes the exposed brick walls and the interesting challenge posed by fruit-cellar-like basement storage. Local Depot Town events help generate foot traffic, he says, as long as they are extended into the downtown area rather than confined to the river area, as was last year's Elvis Fest.
The bottom line is that business is good. "We're still here," Brennan says.
And he believes that people will always be drawn to Fantasy Attic as long as the cool, funky and unexpected can still be found there. And founder Monica Ladd agrees that Fantasy Attic is going strong with the best complement she can give it:
"I think it's got more of the Main Street magic back," she says.
Leia Menlove is a master of disguise. She is also a frequent contributor to Concentrate.
Her previous story was Turning One Into Deuce.
All Photos by Dave Lewinski
Photos:
Bill Brennan Looks Presidential
Bill Brenna Has Great Hearing
Whoops
Just Clownin Around
I Just Couldn't Resist
A Dragon in the Attic
All Photos Were Taken at Fantasy Attic in Ypsilanti