The prize for the best costume starts here

Longing to get in touch with your inner Mark Antony or Cleopatra for Halloween? What about your inner pirate or Queen Elizabeth I? 

If so, Sophia Scarpelli can help you. She’s the owner of Sophia’s Costumes and Gifts in the Cos Cob section of Greenwich, and her 1,900-square-foot store has more than 4,000 costumes for your adult holiday party or theatrical needs. Variety is indeed the spice of life here as the costumes range from the ancient world to the 1990s, with Cinderella, Lucy from “I Love Lucy,” Batman and Superman among the fictional characters in the mix. (Sizes vary as well, from 0 to 24 for women, with men’s ranging from a 38 jacket to a 52.) 

Most will want to rent their costumes, or portions of costumes ($45 to $300 for the week) as you can’t be Cleo or Julius Caesar every moment of your life. The fee includes dry cleaning, so you don’t have to worry about the care of various fabrics. Scarpelli invited us to inhale:  There’s no musty smell, she said, as she takes great pride in keeping the costumes pristine. 

There are also costumes for sale (beginning at $25), including those designed to transform female shoppers into goddesses, warriors, pirates and mermaids; and their male counterparts into Greek gods, Egyptian pharaohs, Prince-style pop stars and vampires. Pirates and vampires are among the most popular selections, Scarpelli said. 

Some of the costumes, including exquisitely beaded flapper dresses and bold psychedelic bell bottoms, could easily transition to a contemporary wardrobe or the gifts section of the store, where you’ll find vintage clothing; estate and costume jewelry; other accessories like hats and shawls; sculpted candles; aprons, potholders, napkins and scented soaps, many of which are from the irresistible Michel Design Works; snow globes featuring sailboats and the Buddha, among other unusual subjects; and sassy greeting cards. 

Few presences in the store are sassier than Scarpelli herself, with her husky voice, flowing blond mane and bold-as-brass personality. Ask her why she founded the shop 42 years ago, and she will say, “Because I grew up in Greenwich in a middle-class family, and I wanted people to have some place to shop where they could buy something nice without mortgaging their house.” 

Scarpelli noted that she does have expensive items, such as a red and green statement necklace and clip-on teardrop-shaped, filigree earrings accented with pink stones – both by designer Kenneth Lane – that might sell for $500. But she also has earrings for about $20. Growing up the youngest of five girls, Scarpelli quickly became acquainted with “vintage,” as in her sisters’ hand-me-downs. Further whetting her appetite for actual vintage clothing – singing in the 1980s and ’90s with The Romero Brothers, a Big Band-style group that required 1940s clothing.  

Though she’s proud of her four decades in the business, Scarpelli said it has not been without challenges. She spoke with emotion about almost losing the store during the Covid pandemic when no one was going to costumed, holiday parties, let alone buying gifts.  

“I asked God for help,” she said, and help came in the form of the First Bank of Greenwich. 

“Frank Gaudio (the bank’s president and CEO) gave me PPP money,” she said of the CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, “and he’s helped me ever since.” 

The bank, at 444 E. Putnam Ave., is down the street from the store, 428 E. Putnam Ave., which relocated from Lewis Street, off Greenwich Avenue, in January 2022, reopening in April of that year. At her new location, Scarpelli said she not only has more space for her wares but also off-street parking – for all those chariots and pumpkin coaches, so to speak. 

For more, call 203-869-6911 or 203-869-5990, or visit sophiascostumes.com.