This time of year, people flock to Halloween stores looking to find the perfect costume. In Kent, one store in particular is a popular choice for students creating their one-of-a kind ensembles. TV2’s Melinda Stephan has the story.

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This Halloween weekend will find many Kent residents in search of the perfect costume, and lots of them will end up at local clothing and costume shop Einstein’s Attic.

Though small, Einstein’s Attic is a 12-year-old Kent business that is packed with vintage, retro, and costume items. But this time of year it’s also packed with residents and students alike, hunting for the elements of an inventive outfit.

Owner Sherry Dakes says some of their best-selling items are accessories like hats, scarves, glasses and jewelry.

“Accessories,” says Dakes. “Accessories mainly is the number one thing, because it puts the little added touch onto your costumes.”

Dakes attends estate and tag sales all year long to find items her customers will enjoy, and for good reason: fall is the busiest time of year at Einstein’s Attic. Dakes estimates that the month of October accounts for approximately one-third of her yearly sales.

Though Halloweeners prefer to buy simple, pre-packaged costumes, many opt for constructing their own costumes piece by piece. Kent State student Sam Jeremy says she hasn’t bought an all-in-one costume since she was a freshman.

“I’ve done the pre-packaged thing – it’s really expensive. I’m a senior so I kind of got the hang of it now,” says Jeremy.

She wanted to create a unique outfit, and went to Einstein’s Attic to find the clothing and accessories to make her costume idea, a Jazzercise instructor, come to life.

“I was looking for all the essentials: the leotard, the sweatbands, tights and this amazing sweater,” said Jeremy.

It seems many locals have the same idea, and Dakes anticipated this: “People love to put their own stuff together. We tried packaged stuff; they don’t care for that. They want to come in and piece it together,” she says. “They love that, they love making their own things. It’s creative.”

Dakes seems to have as much fun watching her customers put costumes together as her patrons have doing it.

“Instead of having the same thing as everybody else – I mean, they could be the same thing – but it’s going to be different because of the pieces of clothing that they find,” Dakes says with a grin.