It’s 3 p.m. on Tuesday and people are making their way in and out of Maria Alvarado’s front yard on Soto Street. While there’s no sign on the door or even a banner, rows of Halloween costumes hanging from Alvarado’s fence signal to customers that she’s open for business.
Alvarado has been selling costumes from her Boyle Heights home for almost 30 years.
“I started the business when I was young. I feel tired but at the same time, I enjoy helping my customers,” said the 64-year-old, who runs her unnamed business with the help of her daughter, son-in-law, and sometimes even her grandchildren.
Just two days before Halloween, the business sees a rush of parents looking to buy their children last-minute costumes. It will only get busier, Alvarado’s daughter Mariaelena says.
For Boyle Heights native Cynthia Chavez, 35, having a costume shop in her neighborhood offers the convenience she needs as a single mom with a busy schedule. For the second year in a row, Chavez turned to Alvarado to buy her kids’ costumes.
“Sometimes we don’t have time. I just came out of work and it’s a last-minute thing,” Chavez said. “It’s helpful that it’s around the community and you don’t have to drive somewhere else.”
Every year, from Oct. 9 to Oct. 31, Alvarado sets up shop starting at 10 a.m. She offers costumes for children and adults as well as accessories like wigs, wings and detailed masks. On her front lawn, devils and angels sit next to Disney princesses on foldable tables. Clothing racks with firefighters and police suits spill out onto the sidewalk. Prices range from $5 to $85.
While demand is high every Halloween season, Alvarado tries to cater to the low-income community she serves and maintain affordable prices.
“The same costume that you find here with me is the same costume you find in the store but the price is a lot cheaper,” she said.
That means a lot for customers on a budget like Luis Garcia.
The 30-year-old who lives downtown was driving by with his family and stopped to check out Alvarado’s decorative costume wall.
“It saved us a lot. First, it saved us time and then, it saved us money,” Garcia said, adding he appreciated being able to haggle on prices, which he can’t do at a retail store.
Garcia, his wife and their three giddy children left the home with bags stuffed with Halloween costumes and accessories.
“Now that I know that they’re here, I’m going to be coming back every year,” Garcia said. “I like the prices, the costumes are new, everything is in its bag and they’re really friendly.”
That same sentiment was shared online after Alvarado’s business recently went viral on TikTok. Multiple comments give positive reviews with some people sharing how their parents brought them to shop there as children.
Alvarado affirmed the online commentary and added that several of her customers have been coming to her for generations.
“There are customers who come and they tell their kids, ‘She’s like your grandmother’ and I like that. It fills me with pride,” she said.
Alvarado’s home shop is located at 540 S Soto St, Los Angeles, CA 90033.
