Customers accustomed to renting costumes from “Mister Lincoln’s Costume Shop” will no longer see the owner running the store.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A long-established downtown Memphis store well known for its costumes and Halloween apparel is closing for good.
Barry Lincoln, owner of Mister Lincoln Costume Shop, explained to ABC24 why now is the time to move forward.
Customers who were accustomed to renting costumes from Lincoln’s store will no longer see the owner running the shop, and Lincoln said it was time for him to retire.
“I’m 77 years old and I was supposed to retire about 10 years ago, but now I’m finally retiring,” Lincoln said.
Lincoln’s store features unique masks and costumes for a variety of occasions and genres, and his store has been a one-stop shop for the Halloween season for 33 years.
But Lincoln said he doesn’t feel motivated to continue the business.
“I can’t work like I used to. I’ve slowed down,” he said. “In this business, especially around Halloween, you can’t slow down. You have to speed up. So now is the time. [retire]”
Lincoln’s legacy extends beyond the four walls of his building, and Annie Frere of Germantown Community Theatre said Lincoln’s impact on the arts world will be sorely missed.
“We really want to take over that role because costume shops are absolutely necessary,” Frere said.
Frere said everyone in the industry understands and knows that Mister Lincoln is a staple.
“Literally, for our last show, we needed a special police hat and we couldn’t find it anywhere. Lo and behold, Mr. Lincoln was there for us,” she said.
Lincoln told ABC24 what he’ll miss most is the people coming into his store.
“They always come in at a happy time, and I want to make them happy before they leave so they can stay happy,” Lincoln said.
Lincoln said he thinks someone will buy his store before it closes on Saturday.
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