Coloradans with $20 in their pockets are poppin’ tags for a second-hand Halloween.

Gently-used costumes, decorations and customers are overflowing at Goodwill Colorado and ARC Thrift, especially on half-off days.

Maggie Scivicque, Vice-President of Marketing for ARC Thrift, said the second-hand buying experience has been big since the first Colorado ARC store opened in 1968. Thrift store shopping is a habit and “Halloween is often the gateway,” she said. “People come in the fall to get ready for the holidays and they’re hooked.”

Colorado is ranked 8th among thrifting states according to the Nasty Gal website. The top four hot spots were New York, Oregon,  California and Wyoming.

The thrifting phenomenon caught fire during COVID.

“Young people were bored at home and they realized they could get deals at our stores and resell them online,” said Scivicque.

Today, there are 36 Colorado ARC stores with the most recent opening at Mineral and South Broadway in Littleton.

Many Minnies. Tons of nuns

About two miles away from the new ARC store, the aisles at an older outlet at 1400 W. Littleton Boulevard exploded with costume possibilities: Minnie Mouse, a scary nun, a pirates, and even a brick house with a black cat at the door.

There were pointy hats, wizard wands, fingers, and dead bones.

Glass eyes, crowns, feathers, and headstones.

A crew of intellectually and developmentally disabled adults roamed the accessories aisle constructing outfits for a scary clown movie they’re producing.

“It’s a horror-comedy,” said case manager Stephen Simon. “We have an Oscar party at the end of the year. Everybody votes for their favorite movie.”

The rest of the production is a secret that Simon can’t reveal.

The Nostalgia Group LLC, based in Denver, is non-profit program for older intellectually and developmentally disabled adults.

Amy, who will be a Halloween queen, Wilbur (Chester Cheeto Guy), James (bean farmer) and Stanley, (the “king of something) loaded their cart with skulls, capes, felt autumn leaves and one pair of pink sunglasses.

The cost? $39 even.

“YES!” They shouted, high-fived and posed for a picture in the parking lot.

The fun is in the plan

At the 21 S. Broadway Goodwill of Colorado Thursday, customers were considering becoming a taller-than-usual Scooby Doo, a circus ringmaster, a pilot zombie, Scary Santa, Beetlejuice or a bug. “People come to find unique items used gently,” said Marketing and Communication Manager Ashley Furst.

Goodwill has expanded its Halloween marketing to include a “Look Book” in which employees take actual used merchandise from their stores and create fantastic get-ups from pop culture like “Toy Story’s” Tinkerbell, “The Addams Family”, “The Wizard of Oz” and something called “The Burger Family.”

Spending to pretend

Between the candy, the costumes and the couture, Americans will spend more than $11 billion on Halloween 2024, according to the National Retail Federation. The average person will plunk down $103.63, down $4.62 from last year.

Halloween has become such a moneymaking event for ARC Thrift, the stores save Halloween merchandise all year-round and bring it out for the season.

Both Goodwill Colorado and ARC thrift take new Halloween accessories like make-up and pirate swords and mix them with the used thrift items.

If parents want their kids to be unique this year, they should steer away from Spiderman. Spidey is expected to be 2024’s most popular kid’s costume followed by a ghost and a princess.

Last year’s most popular costume for adults, Barbie, is already so 2023.

The most common dress-up for adults this year is a witch, followed by a vampire, a cat and a pirate.

More people are dressing up their pets than ever. The most common costumes for our furry friends are pumpkins, hot dogs, bats and bumblebees.