Arlene's Costumes

Arlene's Costumes is a family-owned costume shop at 1225 Portland Ave in Rochester, NY, operating continuously since 1956. Founded by Arlene Stephens and her mother Mildred "Molly" Stephens from a small storefront on East Main Street, the business began by making Halloween costumes for neighborhood children. After relocating to Culver Road in 1975 and expanding retail operations in 1982, Arlene's moved to its current 10,000-square-foot showroom on Portland Avenue in 2003. The shop is now in its fifth generation of family ownership and holds certification as a Small and Women-Owned Business.

Arlene's Costumes stocks both retail and rental inventory sourced from over 100 vendors, covering a wide range of categories:

• Costumes for children and adults spanning themes like medieval, Renaissance, disco, colonial, anime, and character outfits
• Theatrical makeup and stage accessories
• Wigs, beards, hats, gloves, feather boas, and legwear
• Masks and novelty items
• Specialty rentals including mascot suits, Santa outfits, Easter costumes, and parade pieces
• Airbrush face painting and temporary tattoo services for events

The store also maintains handmade costume pieces created by family members across earlier generations, alongside its broader commercial inventory.

Arlene's Costumes is one of Rochester's longest-running specialty retailers, with seven decades of continuous operation under the same family. The business built its identity around year-round costuming — serving theatrical productions, schools, businesses, and community events rather than focusing exclusively on the Halloween season. Founder Arlene Stephens, who led the shop for 69 years until her passing in 2025, was widely known in the Rochester area as "The Queen of Halloween." The store has historically provided costumes to families in need as part of its community involvement.

The shop occupies a one-story building at 1225 Portland Avenue in Rochester's northeast side, within the 14621 ZIP code. The Portland Avenue corridor connects several residential neighborhoods between downtown Rochester and Irondequoit to the north. The storefront features illuminated window displays showcasing inventory. With 10,000 square feet of showroom space, the location is substantially larger than the shop's earlier Culver Road home and offers street-level accessibility along this commercial stretch of Portland Ave.