Day Twenty Four - GraveYard Tales, Pt 1

In high school I took a voc-tech class on Video Production. I learned more from my teacher Phil Harris in that class then I would for many years to come.

Each October Phil would also work for a local costume/magic/dance supply store called Steins Theatrical & Dance Supplies, located in the Clarendon section of Arlington, Va. Knowing that I was somewhat responsible, Phil asked me if I wanted to help him at the shop one October.

I was amazed. The place was a zoo and I was in heaven. There were lines out the door, all people waiting to get made-up with mostly gore f/x make-up. People wanted to look frightening. Everything from a bloody slashed neck to an eyeball popping out of its socket, devils and zombies, angles and killers.


That was all it took, I started working at Steins part-time. Looking back, it really was a dream job. It had fun, odd employees. There was Jim, who was way too into medieval reenactments, and Mandy; the manager and wife of the owner who had a look similar to Tammy Faye Baker. Then there was Cyrel who never left the dark basement (unless it was lunchtime, where each day she would walk over to a little fast food stand across the way), always sewing and keeping the costumes in decent shape.


Then there was the building itself. It was a fabulous 1940's building, with a huge winding staircase that seemed to take forever to walk up. There were the back-rooms full of old stock, weird and creepy things spilling out of various boxes. It really was a similar mixture of customers as well. Strippers getting pasties and liquid latex, Moms buying their girls ballet shoes, party goers, scenesters and such.


To be continued..like it or not.