Fantasy Costume closing its doors

Battle Creek’s only year-round costume shop and dry cleaning service will close in a month. Debra Wondergem, the owner of Fantasy Costume on East Emmett Street, said the need for costumes and dry cleaning services isn’t as great as it used to be.
Wondergem began working for Baker Brother’s Fine Dry Cleaning 30 years ago when her husband asked for her help. Five years later she opened the year-round costume store.

“We had two bedrooms and one feather and we stuck it in every hat,” said Wondergem. “In the early days I didn’t advertise because I didn’t think we had enough to offer.”

Now, her store is full of accessories, wigs, make-up, masks and costumes to fulfill any customer’s dream, or at least get it started. And it’s all on sale.

“We could have Halloween here tomorrow we’re so stocked,” she said. “If I don’t have it, I’ll get it.”

Wondergem grew up in a family of seamstresses and her mother was a milliner. From them, she learned how to sew.

The costume shop’s owner also joined the National Costumers Association and began attending regional meetings. There, she met other costumers and has been taking classes every year for 20 years to enhance her skills. She is hoping some of her friends from the association will be able to take the larger costumes off her hands.

Originally from East Detroit, Wondergem said her career was hard work, but she had a lot of fun.

“It’s kind of hard to sum up in a moment,” said the owner. “There are too many memories, too many people.”

Wondergem and her team have designed, created, and cleaned costumes for companies as big as Macy’s, while still selling retail costumes for every price range. Her shop has cleaned the Tony the Tiger suit for years and recently supplied the make-up and wigs for Marshall’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
She said the cleaning aspect of her business has been the strongest part of the operation.

“We were able to produce the finest finished product,” said Wondergem.

Though her store is more than just a Halloween costume shop, Wondergem said by the time she gets to Halloween, she’s almost glad it’s over because she’s so exhausted. But that doesn’t stop the fun.

She’s often invited to numerous parties and is often asked to judge costume contests.

“I love seeing what people like to create,” she said.

Wondergem said Internet sales, 30-day discount Halloween stores and the recession have made things more difficult for her.

“The 30-day stores are not costume shops. They sell inexpensive costumes in bags,” she said. “We sell quality costumes; we have fabulous costumes and award-winning costumes.”

“That’s why we’re here year-round; we’re not just a Halloween store. Some (costumes) take months to make.” Read the full story at www.aulaundry.com web.

Wondergem has welcomed frantic mothers and teachers who need last-minute costumes and gotten tall orders from people as far away as California. She said she hopes she helped and inspired creativity to them all.