Depot Town escapes reality

By Christine Laughren
Jan. 16, 2009    ·    1:35 a.m.

Sequenced fairy wings hang from a hook in the wall where a sequenced sweater use to. Medieval chain mail has taken the place of a Christmas tree. A wall of wigs lines the back of a room where there use to be antiques.

Indeed, there are hardly any remnants of Quinn’s Essentials, once situated at 19 E. Cross St. in Depot Town, just some maroon paint and flowery wallpaper.

Quinn’s has been closed for about a year. Taking its place is Fantasy Attic Costumes, which opened its doors to the public Tuesday.

“The opportunity to be in Depot Town was really why I wanted to leave,” owner Bill Brennan said of the shops old location at 3010 Packard Road in Ann Arbor. “The rent is a lot cheaper, but that’s almost secondary to wanting to be in a downtown area like this.”

Brennan purchased the business this year from long-time owner Monica Ladd. He said the business has been going strong for 23 years, since Ladd purchased Lucky Costumes, formally above Lucky Drugs on Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor.

“This year she decided to retire and I decided to buy it,” Brennan said with a chuckle.

The Attic operated its last Halloween this past October, then closed its doors. Since then, there has been a lot of packing and unpacking for Brennan as well as longtime Attic employees Wendy Wagner-Satwicz and Amy Cimaglia.

And there is still a lot to do Brennan said.

“We don’t have as much stock out on the floor as we’re going to have,” he said. “We still have to build some fixtures to accommodate more merchandise and we’ve got a lot of back stock that’s left to be moved over as well.”

Despite all the items that still need to be put out, many of the walls are already overflowing. Fake blood, fangs, skin, fingers and ears hang in one corner. A display case full of tiaras sits in the other corner.

Everywhere you turn there is something on the walls - from hats and masks, to feathers and wigs. Don’t forget about all the costumes either.

Two-year-old Meredith Hammonds, who turns three on Monday, strolled into the Attic Wednesday with her mom Alicia in tow. The two were looking for a tiara to put atop Meredith’s birthday cake and made their way to Depot Town when they saw the old location had closed.

Alicia, an Ann Arbor resident said she liked the store on Packard because it was closer to her home.

“But this is a much better space,” she said of the new location.

While placing wigs on mannequin heads, Wagner-Satwicz, who has worked at the Attic for about 10 years, said it is nice to be in Depot Town because it is right down the street from her home.

“Plus, I think Ann Arbor is overrated, overpriced and overblown,” she said.

The opening of Fantasy Attic came on the same day Ypsilanti’s City Council approved upon first reading a change to the zoning ordinance text that would zone space for “Body Art Facilities” in Depot Town and other areas in the City.

Dawn Cook, who intends to open the tattoo parlor at 33 and 35 E. Cross St., pursued the ordinance amendment with her partner Mike Emmett. Cook said she likes the “down-to-Earth” vibe in Ypsilanti and is excited to be in Depot Town.

Brennan said he did not know of Cook or the proposed tattoo parlor but he was excited nonetheless.

“That would be awesome,” he said.

As he worked out issues with the credit card machine, more patrons from Ann Arbor came in to Brennan’s store in search of that one thing they know they will find at Fantasy Attic – a fake mustache.

University of Michigan Students Joe Digirolamo and Matt Armstrong said they are doing a mustache fundraiser and wanted to take a picture of the Dean with the fake facial hair. The pair said they liked the new location.

“It’s a lot more spacious and a better atmosphere,” Digirolamo said.

Brennan smiled, handed the duo their receipt, thanked them for coming and got back to unpacking.