Old Sacramento costume, gift store Evangeline’s turns 50. How is it celebrating its birthday?
Want it to be Halloween year round? Evangeline’s has its customers covered.
From the Addams Family to Sailor Moon to Barbie, the store has around 3,500 costumes, said Deborah Chaussé, the business’s owner.
“I think for costumes, everyone wants something original,” said Jennifer Kossmann, the store’s special projects manager. “There’s always something new to see here.”
Located on 113 K St., the novelty gift store and the costume mansion is celebrating its 50th anniversary. To celebrate, the business is offering discounted prices on vintage items, like lava lamps, mood rings and Kit Kat clocks.
Evangeline’s has become known for its quirks and plethora of fun costumes. Its inventory spans three stories, filled with novelty gifts, accessories and costumes.
The woman-owned business first opened in 1974 at the historic Howard House, a building established in Old Sacramento in 1850. The building housed multiple businesses over the years, like a barber shop, an insurance agency, a wholesale grocery store, according to an Old Sacramento touring company.
Evangeline’s was first run by Chaussé’s mother, Dorothea Evangeline Chaussé. The two, originally from San Francisco, moved to Sacramento after spending time in Pilot Hill, which is right outside of Auburn. At the time, the daughter Chaussé was studying at Sacramento State and would work at the store part time.
An antique store turned novelty store
Evangeline’s began as an antique and gift store, which shared a building space with a discotheque. But throughout the 1980s to 2000s, the store expanded while other businesses shut down. By 1985, her mother retired at 65 and Chaussé took over. Dorothea Evangeline Chaussé died in 2013.
“I remember the moment,” Deborah Chaussé said. “She came in right after her birthday and she just gave me the keys.”
Evangeline’s money was sitting stuck with antiques, Chaussé said. They weren’t selling as much as they used to. The business began selling trendier items and add Halloween costumes regularly. They began selling spiked collars, grim reaper robes, vampire teeth and witch dresses.
“We began catering towards an alternative crowd,” Chaussé said. “This was before Hot Topic, and we had hair dye, colored hair spray and we were very welcoming to employees who were tattooed.”
It seemed like a reluctant idea at first. Chaussé thought the idea was crazy, as the store wasn’t selling costumes yet and only accessories and toys. But with a strong recommendation from a former employee, Evangeline’s took the risk.
The spooky attire sold instantly, Chaussé said. After that, they began ordering more.
“We sold everything,” Chaussé said. “I sold twice as much.”
Evangeline’s sale of goth fashion would only continue to grow, said Kossmann, who has worked at Evangeline’s since 1993. Today, half of the store is “100% Halloween,” Chaussé said.
A 50-year legacy
Other businesses that once occupied the Howard House, like a discotheque and a bank themed restaurant and bar would shut down over the years. But Evangeline’s always remained. It later took over the remaining floors.
Walking around Evangeline’s is like getting a glimpse into history. Remnants of the former Howard House businesses are seen throughout the store. The bar from a local restaurant has been repurposed as a cashier stand, decorated with costumes and mannequin heads with wigs. The bathrooms for a restaurant are redecorated as Heaven and Hell dressing rooms.
Evangeline’s expanded to a three story business in 1992, taking over the floor space of the Howard House and the Lady Adams building. By 2000, Chaussé, alongside her husband, Leon Corcos, bought both historic buildings, fully assembling the Costume Mansion upstairs.
“It’s hard for me to believe that it has been 50 years,” Chaussé said. “I still look forward to coming to work every day and helping to keep Sacramento supplied with new and quirky gifts and toys.”
