Sewing “sexy” at B-Bop’s

This week’s celebration of Halloween marks the end of a busy season for Larry Slaybaugh, 61, affectionately dubbed “the hardest-working man in Sacramento” by his employees. That’s because he doesn’t just sell and rent costumes; he makes them by hand. Halloween is, of course, the busiest time of year for all costume shops. But at B-Bop’s Costumes, Antiques and Thrift Shop, that push takes on near-religious overtones. Slaybaugh uses the season as an excuse to add often garish new touches to the façade of his business—something new every year. And after 10 years in business, this place is like a work of art, catching the eye of all who pass. Located in a gorgeous Victorian house at the corner of 20th and L streets, B-Bop’s exterior is weathered but still ornate, with a whimsical, fantastical flair. Customers are greeted by mannequins in feather boas before they proceed up the illuminated stairs to a porch bursting with clothing and costumes. This place screams individuality, marking B-Bop’s as one of the most wonderfully quirky retail/rental shops in Sacramento. At least it’s always caught my eye as I pass it on my daily bike ride to work. And now, with the costume season upon us and a 15 minutes deadline bearing down, it seemed like an opportune time to pay a visit to the man behind the masks.

How did you get into the costume business?

Well, I actually went to college to be a costume designer, but I never did anything with it. For 16 years, I had an animal feed store and an antique shop. And before that, I worked all my life in the lumber industry as an indoor salesman in Alaska …

Then I went to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, not knowing what it was, but I just wanted to see what it looked like. I didn’t even wear a costume. But I was so impressed that the next year I went back wearing a costume, and the next year a better one, and the next year a better one. And I made my own costume each time.

After going 10 years in a row to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, then going two years to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, I had all these costumes. I had just gotten out of the business I was in, and somebody said to me, “You know, there’s a costume shop for sale …” And I’ve been doing it ever since.

How much time do you spend making costumes?

A lot! Because I never learned to sew by machine, I have to do it all by hand, so it takes me many hours just [to make] one costume. But I really enjoy the business and the pleasure it gives other people. They really like having a custom-made costume, one that’s different [from] anyone else’s. And I really try to shoot for the glamour thing. We do have some witches and that sort of thing, but I always tell them that we don’t do ugly witches, just sexy witches.

What’s the strangest costume you’ve ever made?

A sexy goldfish.

How do you make a goldfish sexy?

By [making] a skin-tight gold dress, with sheer fins and everything, [and] gold tinsel hair down to the waist.

How did you come up with a sexy goldfish?

Well, it started out with the first bizarre costume I made, which was a sexy skunk. And it turned out very well and was very popular. The next year, I wanted to get a little more bizarre, so I made a sexy bluebird. It was OK. Then last year I did a sexy goldfish, and it was a flop.

Nobody wanted to be a sexy goldfish, huh?

Nope. But people still like a sexy skunk.

Is there any costume that you wouldn’t make?

I will not make Nazi costumes. I have had a Nazi costume, and a very good one, but I had some people who were offended by it, and therefore I got rid of it.

Anything else?

Nothing too vulgar. Sexy is fine. But vulgar, no.

Bondage gear?

Those we do, and some good ones. They’re fine.

Why do people like to be someone they’re not?

When you see people come in and try on a costume, it’s really bizarre. They’ll go into the dressing room and come out with an absolutely and totally different personality. It’s like they can fulfill their fantasies. It changes them. They become whatever they’re wearing.

If you could suddenly be someone that you’re not, who would you be?

Bill Gates

Bill Gates? Because of the money, huh? OK, then what’s your favorite costume?

The one I get the most attention for is one I’ve worn six or seven times: an Inca Indian. But it’s a very elaborate costume. It’s about 11 feet tall and weighs about 50 pounds. I get a lot of calls for bizarre costumes. This year, I got a call from one woman who wanted to be a roll of toilet paper. One wanted to be a tube of lipstick and one wanted to be a rutabaga.

Did you make them?

No. I don’t custom-make costumes for people any more. I use my own ideas and make them to rent.

Do you have regular customers?

I have clients who started with me in the beginning, 10 years ago, and have been with me every year since, especially a lot of companies. We’re one of the few places that does group costumes, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, or all the characters from The Wizard of Oz, which are very popular. And not many stores do that. They’ll have just Snow White, but not all the dwarfs.

Your business seems like it’s wearing a costume. How long has it taken to create this look?

Quite a bit, because it’s something that never ends. I don’t know if you’ve seen it at night, but we have it all lit up, and it seems like every year we add more lights and more of this or that. Halloween is the time when we add to it, and we just keep adding on more, year after year.