Great Costumes was created in a small shop in Renton, Washington in January 1983.  Most rental costumes were made in the shop.  With time,  Great Costumes moved to a larger location and has become the largest costume shop in the state of Washington.

Great Costumes is a quality costume shop offering over 8,000 rental costumes and a huge retail inventory including costumes, wigs, makeup, hats, masks and each type of accessory.

Great Costumes has continued to grow and now occupies 3000 square feet of space just off of I-405 in Renton.  The largest season is Halloween, followed by Christmas, Easter and then special occasions.

Great Costumes services the Greater Puget Sound area.  The closest competitor is located over 14 miles to the north.  No significant competitors are located to the south of the stores location in Renton.  This leaves a very large market area.  Another strong competitor is the internet market.  Great Costumes has a website containing basic information and directions to the store www.greatcostumessupply.com.  It does not yet provide purchasing online.

Customers have enjoyed 23 year history of costume inventory at Great Costumes.  They are also happy to find some of the most popular costumes each Halloween season.  Great Costumes has also been able to satisfy customers by placing special orders if an item is requested which is not normally kept in stock.  Being a specialty store, Great Costumes maintains a policy of “All Sales Are Final.”  If a customer is purchasing a costume, fitting rooms are available to ensure a proper fit before they purchase a costume.  The “All Sales Final” policy is posted at each of the registers and printed on the customer receipts.

Great Costumes is visible from Interstate 405 in Renton.  In September and October, individuals are the largest customer base.  In the rental department, the costumes are adult sizes only and a minimum age of 18 is required to enter into the rental contract.  During December, Santa suit rentals are the largest source of income.  Most reservations come from businesses and groups for holiday parties.  The same is true for the Easter holiday with over sixty bunny costumes.  These are also rented primarily to businesses and groups.