We received a wonderful welcome from this family owned freaky fantasy shop in downtown Louisville!…read more It's pretty much any Halloween lover's dream store. There was room after room of costumes, props, decor, spooky animatronics, and more! And don't worry, if you're not local and are just visiting like we were, they are more than happy to ship things out to you. It's obvious that customer service is important to the owners and the community has responded positively and embraced them seeing as they have been around over 100 years!

There's nothing like it elsewhere in Louisville! Every day of the year is a costume party /…read moreHalloween celebration. You could spend a long time, minimum an hour, browsing the aisles and appreciating the items you wouldn't typically find on a store shelf. We love, love, love the animated rooms that feel like mini haunted houses. It's a great opportunity to see what's inside the box before you make the investment. Some of the items are not for sale, having been handmade by a store associate to make their customers smile. Prices are fair and aligned with other sources. They do allow you to try on items which is nice. Some can be more expensive and you'd want to be certain they fit well. Besides costumes they have a ton of accessories and party themed decor. Parking is a bit tough. There's very limited space next to the building and much of the street parking is metered or a pay lot. Around Halloween it can take a few passes to find an available spot. No food or drinks allowed inside so leave them in the car.

My teenaged son wanted clothes for Christmas and had never been thrift shopping, so we made a day…read moreof it and went to several stores to buy his new "wardrobe." Nitty Gritty was by far the most thoughtfully curated of the stores we went to - but also the most expensive. As we perused the men's section upstairs, we noticed that several items were well above the budget we had set in place. That being said, the quality of nearly all of the items was above average. This is a true vintage store - not one where you will find used clothes bought from Target four years ago (not that there is anything wrong with that either). After about half an hour, he settled on a pair of $30 snowboarding pants that normally sells, from what our internet search revealed, for well over $150, so even though there was some initial sticker shock, the pants were well worth it. He also procured a very vintage sweater vest for $12 which he is insistent he will pair somehow with the pants - I'm looking forward to seeing this outfit. At any rate, I highly recommend this store for the true vintage connoisseur - someone who is looking for well made, lasting pieces and is willing to pay the higher prices for quality. This store has been around for ages and now I understand why: it is a walk back into time. The staff is friendly and helpful, too, which is always a plus, and parking was not an issue, though I had worried it might be.

The Nitty Gritty is a used clothing shop and costume rental store located on a Popular row of shops…read moreand bars off Barret Ave in Lousiville, Kentucky. I went shopping a few weeks back with my 5 girls and some friends when we stopped into this shop. The building walking in will Give you big time nostalgia vibes. Lots of oldest clothing styles and vintage items to browse in this two level shop. The men's department is upstairs and the costume rental area is in the very rear. When back there be sure to look in the rafters for some old school child terrorizing animal mascot heads that are fun to check out. On our trip here my oldest found a 50s retro looking swim suit that she fell in love with. It was reasonably priced so we made the purchase. Overall a pretty cool shop that was fun to browse and brought a blast from the past feeling for me personally. Only strange thing was there was rack with an old uofl mascot hoodie my second oldest wanted but it wasn't priced yet so they simply said "not for sale".

amazing costume shop!!! very friendly owners!!!!!!!…read morethey aim to please!!! please check them out

Rent your Persona For the Weekend! This place is the only…read moreother Costume Rental place I could find in Louisville. The other, I will not mention since I did not go, I heard bad reviews. This little show is located on Story Avenue and is very senior mom and pop feel. You walk in and the place smells of moth balls and 1950's, but the costume selection is pretty decent. I think the owners made a lot of the pieces themselves, so please try on everything to make sure there are no loose seems or holes. However you do get a lower cost with the more mom made quality. A weekend rental for a full costume and all accessories (which includes any wigs, hats or jewelry) is only $65 and $60 a piece if you get a couples theme. The owners are very nice and accommodating and carry many sizes. Although, I couldn't find a bit more provocative Cleopatra they had many costumes that I may come back to view or rent if the time calls. I definitely will not count this place out in my costume search. Make sure to call ahead, since they sometimes have odd hours.

Owner has been here for thirty years and is very nice. If you are nice to her, she may just cut…read moreyou a deal- DON'T try on the wigs without a wig-cap. You wouldn't try on bathing suits without underpants would you? (This question is rhetorical). If you don't have a wig cap, which I didn't, then you can purchase one for... a single dollar. How considerate of you! And sanitary. It should be stated as a caveat that the reason I chose to enter the store was due to my immediate Halloween need for a wig; however, after realizing my secret desire to dye my hair (which I never have at age 25), I decided to purchase a brunette version of my current hairstyle just to see. The, we'll call it intrigued, look on my boyfriend's face was priceless, and the wig itself was light and comfortable too. The store provides: derby hats, outrageous Nicki Minaj colored quaffs, and natural looking wigs of all lengths, volumes, styles and colors. She also sells matching handbags as well. I enjoyed the store because it was friendly, clean, well lit, and affordable (star for each). The sign for $19.95 sale wigs on the pavement was no joke, and I upgraded to a $29.99 hair piece that did just perfectly for my costume...and maybe an incognito visit home. I have been to other wig selling establishments and I've noticed that prices for decent pieces are usually upwards to $70+ alone. This store blew those prices out of the water. So why not five stars? I used my debit card and entered the pin, but the device failed to read it. Not sure if it was me for sure, but I had literally just used it. The technology in that sense could have been better, but otherwise the shop rocked. I will return if ever I'm craving a different dye job- or if I am choosing to impersonate another famous face for a fun holiday.

Mimi is so helpful when looking for the "right" color of wig that compliments me. I like shopping…read morethere. She is conscientious in maintaining a safe clean environment. She generally has a good selection of inventory to choose from. It's worth taking a look! You will be greeted and given great customer service!

We just had the most fantastic date night here! And with the help of Ms Audrey we made these two…read morecutie marionettes that we just love. Theres so much to choose from, literally anything you can think of! Audrey is willing to share advice and teach you new skills you didnt even know you could learn! She's so sweet, like the auntie we aspire to be. We cant wait to come back to pick Audreys brain for more unique projects

You know how you can just tell when someone has found their niche? You can tell by the way that…read morethey think through the fine details of their work and the care they take with offering it to others. They bring a passion with them to the expertise they offer you. That's what it's like to step into Ms Audrey's Emporium. The entrance is filled with art projects that invite you to explore within yourself- What do you wish to create? What crafting skill have you been meaning to pick up or grow? What part of you haven't you had a chance to express yet? And then Ms Audrey will ask you what you're interested in making, so she can help you bring it from idea to life! My artistic, seven-year-old daughter and I came to Louisville for spring break and enjoyed spending more than two days with Ms Audrey. We had stopped at the Speed Art Museum on our way into the city. Pro tip: The speed is free on Sundays. My daughter was inspired by some community artwork with mixed media on canvas. We showed a picture of the inspiration to Ms Audrey. She had the perfect materials and know-how to help us create our own masterpiece, inspired by the art we saw at the museum. My daughter did not want to do anything else in the city besides make art with Ms Audrey- we even skipped the children's museum. We learned different techniques for using the materials and I'll definitely be incorporating them as we continue to create at home. Ms Audrey helps you not only bring beauty into the world, but she makes learning a new craft accessible step by step. Her process helps you create while expanding your crafting skills along the way. She offers such a unique experience. As someone who continually strives to bring analog experiences to the younger generations, I fully approve and value the service she brings to the community. Her prices are absolutely affordable for the value and materials she has to offer. If you're considering starting a crafting hobby or working on a specific craft project, go see Ms Audrey.

Denise Mattingly graciously agreed to a new Singing Telegram character at a very special birthday…read moreparty. Held at a local restaurant with attendees from far away she portrayed a prominent historical character from Kentucky's early pioneers in the development of bourbon. Her portrayal was most creative, hilarious and actually historically correct to the delight of our friends at the dinner celebration. I highly recommend Denise for her creative, clever & engaging characters she brings to life! I would give her more than 5 stars if I could but 5 is the limit. :)

Denise was amazing! Her singing telegram was very personalized, rehearsed, and entertaining. The…read morewhole office loved her performance, myself included! She was very professional and creative. This was a gift for my birthday; and it was the most memorable experience ever! Thank you, and great job!

This event was a great time for my buddy and I, and I hope to attend future Lebowski-fests both…read morehere in Louisville, or at the many others they have throughout the nation. The people were friendly and very sociable, and while everybody was drinking, I only saw a handful of people I would say were drunk and should have gone home. My only gripe, and the reason for docking one star from the rating, were the choices of cocktails. The beer at the Garden Party had one choice I enjoyed -- Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy -- but the other 2 (Miller High Life or Third Shift) were pretty flat to the folks like me who enjoy craft brews. The second night in the bowling alley, the only beer to be had was Miller, and while White Russians are mood appropriate, given the Dude's taste for them in the film, the one's the bar served barely had any vodka in them -- I couldn't taste it, it was mostly mixer. I had a few of each just to get into the spirit, but a few other choices would have been better. Bowling was fun, the costume party was the best, watching the movie with a few hundred other fans who knew all the lines was hysterical, and the pictures were a riot. I must've posed for 100 photos between the two night event. I didn't get to try any of the food from the trucks, but my buddy did, and he said his burger was one of the best he's ever had. It was great fun.

Had a fun day at Unicorn World at the Kentucky International Convention Center. If you love…read moreunicorns and love pink this is THE experience. The girls loved every second. There are tons of picture ops, jumpers, face painting, games, food and arts/crafts. It's truly fun for the whole family.

They canceled the event 2 days before the event and did not answer their phone or email when we…read morereached to request a refund.