Damien Rommal got dressed for work Thursday afternoon. He put on his furry hands, brown face paint and flannel button-up shirt to strut his stuff on the “catwalk.” Dressed as a werewolf, Rommal joined his co-workers for a fashion show like no other at the Kirkland Value Village.

“We don’t want them to go shy with it,” said Rommal of his co-workers. “We have very few rules, but we want it to be a little scary but family friendly, too. It is a fun 10 minutes of madness.”

This is the second year that the chain has put on the ghoulish events each Thursday during October. It is aimed at giving shoppers ideas for Halloween costumes. Thrift stores have long been a treasure trove for Halloween costumes and the chain has seized on that idea. Some of the fashion shows have a theme in Kirkland, like the Oct. 13 zombie fashion show.

“We got really theatrical with that one,” said Rommal. “We have people who really know how to do makeup and it is just a lot of fun.”

Most of the staff is passionate about entertaining customers during the fashion shows.

“They get really excited about doing it,” said store manager Paula Keleci. “This is our busiest time of year. Department stores have Christmas, we have Halloween. We put stuff aside all year for this.”

The employees at the store change their costumes each day and participate in the fashion show on Thursdays in October. This is the second year that the chain has put on the events, with more 270 stores participating throughout the Northwest. But some stores, like Kirkland, take it further than others. The Kirkland store will also have some extra fashion shows, like last weekend’s superhero theme.

“We don’t just throw a wig on and call it a costume,” said employee Will Carlson, who, with his face painted and dressed as the character Cobra from G.I. Joe, held a toy machine gun in one hand and a megaphone in the other to narrate the fashion show. “It seems like it escalates each year. It is unlimited and no one holds back. How often do you get to have this much fun at work?”

Carlson let customers know how much the costume cost and how much of it was new merchandise and how much was used. The range of costumes put together for the Oct. 20 fashion show was very diverse, ranging from the scary  – a Texas zombie, bloody dark Dracula and a horse murderer – to other random characters, including a masked marauder, American Indian, trailer park princess, pirate, hobo, Taylor Swift, goth princess, the Pope, iron Woman and Kurt Cobain.

“You just find one piece and build off of it,” said Shawnacy Bryant-Sloane, who won the company’s costume competition for her pirate zombie. “We just like to have fun.”

On average, people who dress up for Halloween begin preparing for the holiday 61 days in advance, 13 percent plan an entire year in advance and 20 percent wait until the last minute, according to Value Village.com. And with less than a week until Halloween, many customers might find it difficult to make a decision or come up with something creative. That is where Kit Tuszynski comes in as a “Costume Consultant.”

“It is like hunting for treasure,” said Tuszynski. “The kids are definitely the most creative. But it is fun. We can definitely help people get a costume at the last minute.”

The store dedicates 560 square feet of store space for new costume supplies during October and all second-hand stores can be a source for costumes.

“It is fun because the customers get really involved,” said employee Zef Guage, “and we get excited to show off the merchandise.”

Research firm IBISWorld reports that the average American spends $66.28 on a costume, candy and decorations, while people aged 18-34 spend considerably more, especially in college towns.Among holidays Halloween is last, behind even Father’s Day, with retail stores making just $6 billion nationwide for retail stores, the research continues. But it can produce 10 percent of all sales for thrift stores during the year. The average family of four spends $300 on Halloween, according to Value Village.com.

The Kirkland Value Village is located at 12515 116th Ave. N.E. For more information call 425-821-7186.