Creative Halloween shopping

  Still on the search for a Halloween costume? In need of a last minute addition to your ghoulish outfit? There are many places in the surrounding areas that would be very helpful, even shops you wouldn't normally think of. Goodwill, The Dollar Store, and quite a few consignment shops are often overlooked when it comes to the annual costume search.

  Goodwill, a local nonprofit retail thrift store in Zanesville, is the place to find a costume if you're low on cash. Located at 2134 Maple Avenue, the store is an easy target to hit while gathering all of the essentials for Halloween weekend. With items ranging from shoes to clothes to accessories, they have many options for lower prices.

  "I'm not really sure where I'd go first," said sophomore Jessica Stokes. "Probably Walmart, but I wouldn't buy a packaged costume. I usually try to put together my own costume because I can be crazy and fun like myself. I think a thrift store or a second hand store is a good idea for certain costume ideas or if you're trying to be creative, and it's cheap. I like putting together different items and having a weird idea that other people aren't likely to have. It is kind of a hassle if you can't find certain items right away, but it's fun in its own way."

  The Dollar Tree, located at Northpointe Shopping Center, is a great place to find accessories and trinkets to complete any outfit. Like their slogan says, even nicely placed on the outside of the store, "Everything's $1.00". Cheaply priced trinkets, not just for Halloween either.

  When looking for a costume at a store that doesn't sell already packaged, put-together costumes, a major factor one must have is creativity and originality.

  "I think it would be a really good idea if you are creative," said Phoenix Palmer, a freshman at Akron University. "For someone like me it would be a complete hassle because I am not good at putting things like that together. For someone who is good at that or enjoys putting things together and being creative, I think it would be a rewarding and fun experience."

  And for those who worry about second hand and inexpensive items, there's not too much to worry about.

  "I think a thrift store is okay and the second hand store is still okay because it's once a year and it's cheaper, so I think both is fine," said Jing Huang, a sophomore at Muskingum University. "I think it's more fun because old stuff has their history or stories behind them and you can use it to make new stories and it's more fun and it's cheaper, so I think that's good."