HONOLULU (KHON2) — Walking through Savers Mōʻiliʻili in Honolulu, the racks tell a story.
Sequins shimmer next to flannel shirts. A witch’s hat leans against a wedding veil. It’s a place where imagination comes to life, especially in October.
We stopped by the Savers located on King Street to learn about how to shake off the intimidation of creating your own Halloween look and found lots of inspiration right at our fingertips.
1. Finding inspiration in every aisle
For Rachelle Meadows, the retail sales manager for Savers Mōʻiliʻili, Halloween isn’t about buying a prepackaged identity. It’s about creativity, sustainability and a bit of local flair.
“Savers has unique items brought here to us. Everything is donated,” Meadows said. “So, what we do is we kind of just put little transformation stations together, show you how to piece together costumes. It helps if you think outside the box.”
That creative spirit runs deep throughout the store. Instead of picking something mass-produced, shoppers wander through the aisles to mix, match and reinvent.
2. Turning everyday finds into one-of-a-kind looks
A cowboy shirt becomes part of a space ranger outfit. A forgotten bridesmaid dress transforms into a “corpse bride.” And for those who feel stuck, the store displays examples of complete looks to spark ideas.
“We do put together items to kind of give you an idea,” Meadows said. “You can change it up here and there, but we just go through the departments and see what we can turn into a costume. You could be anything, create anything, really.”
While the fun of costume-hunting draws people in, there’s a bigger reason to start at Savers. Creating a costume from secondhand finds helps keep clothes and accessories out of the landfill.
“This is a great way to repurposing items, things that would have went to the landfill prior,” Meadows said. “Now, we’re a secondhand store; so, you pick out items this department and that department and put them together into a costume.”
3. A thrifty Halloween is a Happy Halloween
It’s also easy on the wallet.
“A lot of our items are really under $10,” Meadows said. “So, you can put a decent costume together with just a shirt and an accessory. It’s probably going to run you less than 20 bucks.”
Families benefit, too. The store’s collection includes a few selections for costumes for kids, many still in their original packaging. But the fun part is that you can create bespoke costumes for your entire brood with options offered by Savers.
“You can make a themed costume,” Meadows said. “It’s definitely cheaper than going to a regular store to purchase it.”
4. Inspiration in action
For fun, Meadows and her team whipped up some costumes on the spot to demonstrate how easy it is to get the creative spark when thrifting. Watch this video:
5. Every donation makes a difference
Before costumes reach the shelves, they start as donations. Each bag or box contributes to a larger cause. Geno Seumalo, donations manager for Savers Mōʻiliʻili, said giving is simple and impactful.
“You can donate any day here at the store,” Seumalo said. “Our community donation center is right at the front of the store. Team members will come and offload all the donations for you. We’ll give you a tax-deductible receipt and a discount coupon you can use here.”
The donations also support a meaningful mission that impacts our local communities.
“All the donations we accept on behalf of the nonprofit United Cerebral Palsy,” Seumalo said. “We pay them for the donations, and that helps fund the programs in their efforts to support our local communities.”
From a single pair of shoes to a costume fit for a haunted night, Savers Mōʻiliʻili turns everyday items into something special.
You can click here for more information on Savers and here for information on United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaiʻi.
For Meadows, that’s the true spirit of Halloween: imagination, reuse and a touch of aloha.