43 years later, when the owner was near retirement, the clothes closet in Springfield was pulled open by the curtain (photos, videos).

Springfield — the Eucharist church bought the coat, the armor and helmets Rome Centurion wear every Friday in march.

Most of the Santa suits are sold.

Satan’s suit, on the other hand, is still available. Because it’s the cave man, a bunch of Virgin Marys and a black cloak and robe, you can install the phantom of the opera, the priest or the nun, as needed.

If you have something to eat, the Geri Spear, the owner of the wardrobe in Springfield near the Forest Park, or you dress up like peanuts, potatoes, a piece of cake or cookies.

But not too long. Spears, 75, closed November on Halloween Costume closet party as the Jazz Age outfitting baffle or gorilla and help parents to let children prepare for the intense life Museum introduces the history of the business for 43 years.

“Mom and dad didn’t know Vasco Da Gama’s first thing, but I knew what he was wearing and what he looked like,” Spear said, referring to a Portuguese explorer of the fifteenth century.

She said that in all this, she never wanted to go to work one day.

“How do you make mistakes when you work with clowns, Santa terms, and kids?” She says.

But these days she didn’t want to stand all the time. Business has always been seasonal and uneven over the past few years.

“Time is up,” she said. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”

She bought the company with a partner after renting a colonial costume. She attended a birthday celebration in washington. Over the years, she bought business partners, expanded inventories, and sewed most of the clothes herself.

She thinks she has made more than 80% of thousands of dresses herself, and has long been split into wigs and theatrical make-up.

In those days, Halloween was the busiest time of the year. Adults try on clothes, and in October the store will invite them to their party.

“They exchange business cards. It’s a big social event,” she says. I might as well stay at home last halloween.”

Internet and online shopping are vulnerable. So there are discount retailers and pop-up halloween costumes shop online stores at the regional mall. Social customs have changed, and Halloween events have become fewer and fewer.

Guns are still busy. Her Christmas snowman is a prosperous trade for the works of Thanksgiving turkey and pilgrim’s clothing, costumes. There are religious festivals and Easter bunnies at easter.

Universities and high schools also put on plays in the spring.

“The spring drama season is always good for me,” she said.

But many of the art teachers who had worked with it for years had retired. She began to take it as a sign.

Her husband, John Spear, will continue to use his spear professional shoes company clown shoes, but he will not show in the clothing closet. Her son, Gary Spear, aka Gilligan will also be the clown, his business selling cars, selling the wheelbarrow, novel tricycle and juggling supplies to his companions.

She is selling clothes she has rented over the past few years. Some are priced from $50 to $75 each, and full body clothing has a foam head that sells for $200 to $300.

Last December, she began selling her shares and told Santa’s regular suit customers to buy suits so they could buy them. She expects theatre departments, churches and community groups in high schools and colleges to enter and buy what they think they need in the next few weeks. The organizations then clean, sort and store their clothes.

Spear will plan from her pumpkin orange space at 666 Belmont Avenue in November.

That horrible address?

Spears said that when she took her business after White street for decades, the people at the post office were sorry to tell her that the merchant used the address in preference to “667” (after).”

“I told them, ‘no, 666 is perfect for me,” she said. Everything has come together.”