While many people only play dress up around Halloween, Jerry Purvis puts together costumes all year long for his Plano business, Dallas Vintage Shop.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind shop in the world, really,” Purvis said. “We have millions and millions of items in here.”

After beginning as a thrift store in 2000, Purvis said he discovered there was a need for quality costumes in Plano. When he began focusing on vintage clothing in 2004, the business got its current name. Dallas Vintage Shop then moved from near Downtown Plano to its building along US 75 in 2010, because Purvis said the store needed a bigger space.

“Most places have a wide selection,” he said. “You can get one of anything but you can’t get 10 of anything. For us, you can get 20 of anything.”

That selection can appeal to those willing to spend top dollar for just the right costume, Purvis said.


“When those people come in, they’re looking to me to get them a costume that’s worthy,” he said. “I take it as a challenge and a compliment.”

Still, Purvis knows that not everyone can afford the shop’s higher end products. That is why the store also offers more affordable pieces, he said.

“I sometimes say a prayer, ‘Lord, help the people that need us, can afford us, and are willing to spend the money to find us and help us to be able to help the people that can’t afford us,’” he said. “Because there’s no shop like this, [some people] come in and they’re desperate, and I don’t want them to feel left out.”

The only costumes Purvis said can prove tricky are anime characters, though his staff can usually find one or two pieces for just about anything. The shop’s specialty, though, are “gregarious costumes,” he said.


“If we did [a] Cyndi Lauper [costume], they would look better than Cyndi Lauper in real life because we do a satire of it,” Purvis said. “You can walk in here and—in two hours—walk out as any famous person in history, just about, with all the accessories [you would need].”

Dallas Vintage Shop

1855 N. Central Expressway, Plano

972 422-7256


https://dallasvintageshop.com

Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., closed Sun.