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| - I found out about Fantasy Costumes while frantically searching on Google for a costume for a Santa party and bar crawl. It was the day before the event and I had already scoured several Party City and Fascinations stores in the valley looking for alternatives to a costume I ordered online earlier in the week (which happened to be far too low cut, tight, and short for me to feel comfortable wearing in public).
I zipped over to Fantasy after work keeping in mind it closes at 6PM. The store is buried in this tiny unassuming strip mall on the southwest corner of Apache and McClintock. I actually drove by it my first time and ended up turning around in Pep Boys parking lot. The main sign on the store front says only "Costumes". I was cheerfully greeted by enthusiastic owner Doug who was sporting an incredibly festive Christmas lights vest.
I expressed to Doug my concerns about finding only skanky Santa costumes and how I wanted something that was less hoochie but still CUTE and not matronly. He happily disappeared to the back room and emerged with four "Santa's helper" type costumes for me to try. The third one was a total winner for me and I excitedly changed back into my clothes and brought the costume to Doug to pay. The costume came with three pieces- a belted Santa dress, capelet, and hat. The price of the rental was $45, plus a deposit of $90. All of the rentals use the same price structure, requiring a deposit double the price of the rental up front. The rental period is two days, Fantasy is closed on Sundays.
Before I could even get to the front of the store, Doug had pulled all kinds of accessories from around the store to give to me to use with my costume. An adorable red bag with white pompoms, a jingle bell necklace, a free pair of new-in-package white fishnet stockings for me to keep. The belt that came with the costume was a tad too big, but Doug was on the case and he swiftly added a loop to make sure the excess was held in place and not flapping around my waist.
Because of my own misinterpretation of the store's web site, I failed to bring the correct amount of cash for the rental plus deposit, so I had to leave to go to the ATM. (By the way Fantasy only accepts cash and checks.) I zipped down the street to the ATM and back, only to go back inside and find Doug attaching individual jingle bells to the inside hem of the dress!! He thought it would make the costume "extra special" for me and I was really touched by his thoughtfulness!
The costume turned out to be a great hit and I got several compliments. I did not use the capelet piece for myself but loaned it to a friend who had a sleeveless costume and wanted her shoulders covered. I returned my costume to Doug today and as I entered the store he already had my deposit envelope in hand. He asked me how the event was, how I liked my costume, and was genuinely interested in knowing how everything worked out. I told him I could not thank him enough and that everything was a hit!
If you are ever in need of a costume for any occasion, please stop by this hole in the wall shop. This kind of stellar customer service is something you can rarely find these days. It is so nice to see someone who truly loves what they do and who gets joy out of giving their customers a quality experience!
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