ERIN EDGEMON, Business Columnist
Posted: Sunday, October 11, 2009 7:26 am

Florida transplants Louis and Linda Sanchez own and operate the seasonal costume shop, the Dragon’s Den. TMP/ E. Edgemon

Florida transplants Linda and Louis Sanchez are bringing that old tradition of unique, quality made Halloween costumes back to Murfreesboro.

They recently opened the seasonal costume shop, the Dragon’s Den.

Linda Sanchez, a master seamstress and pattern maker, made 80 percent of the costumes in the shop located next to GreenBank on South Church Street.

She said she can already tell that Tennessee customers are different than those in Florida. They touch the costume fabric and recognize its quality.

“They still sew,” Linda said. “They are down to earth.”

Dragon’s Den opened Sept. 20 and will stay open through Halloween. The store opens most days at 10 a.m. and stays open as long as people are shopping.

Sanchez can take a drawing and turn it into a costume for Halloween or for a Renaissance Fair.

For almost 30 years, the couple ran a successful costume and dancewear shop in the Hollywood area of Florida.

“We literally started the business at a flea market because we couldn’t afford a location,” Linda said.

They eventually had one of the largest costume shops in the region.

The couple decided to move to Middle Tennessee because “this is family,” Linda said, adding that she is originally from Woodbury.

Moving back home is the couple’s form of retirement, but they still wanted to remain active so they thought a seasonal store was the perfect fit.

“We are thrilled with having moved,” Linda said.

Dragon’s Den is filled with costumes for everyone from babies to adults and sizes from newborn to 3X.

Racks are filled with everything from angel, gypsy, peasant, witch and belly dancer costumes for women to pirate, gladiator, wizard and vampire costumes for men.

Masks hang on the walls of the store: everything from Hillary Clinton and Al Gore to Michael Myers, Pinhead and a variety of aliens.

Linda speculates that pirate and vampire costumes are going to be popular this Halloween due to recent movies.

“Girls always want to be something sexy and pretty,” she said. “Guys want to be that buff or grotesque character.”

Linda Sanchez loves listening to her customers’ imagination as they plan what they want to wear to a Halloween party. She said putting together that costume for a customer is her favorite part of running a costume shop.

“I got my first sewing machine when I was 11,” she said, adding that she got a Singer sewing machine from the shop that used to be on the Public Square.

She never had any lessons.

“It is a natural thing for me to do,” Linda said.

“I built a business around the fact that I could sew and tried to make it successful,” Linda said.

Her husband Louis Sanchez, on the other hand, is an accomplished special effects airbrush makeup artist.

“He is an artist personified,” his wife said, adding that there isn’t a character he can’t create on a person’s face. Louis also can apply prosthetics to a person’s body.

Back in Florida, Louis would be booked every 15 minutes for 12 hours around Halloween.

“They come into the shop with their ideas, and we make it materialize,” Louis said.

Louis got into airbrushing after Linda got him a kit for Christmas one year.

“Five minutes after I turned it on, artwork came out,” he said.

Louis’ work became so popular that he was booked a year in advance.

The talented couple is hoping for similar success in Murfreesboro.

“If we do OK with this (store), then we will be here every year,” Louis said.

Erin Edgemon can be reached at 869-0812 and at eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com.

Dragon’s Den
1480 S. Church St., Suite C
895-4779