This will be the last Halloween for Houston's Frankel's...

A longtime Houston business, a favorite of generations, is preparing for its last Halloween.

Frankel's Costume Shop has been making Houstonians look spooky, sexy, and weird for decades and this will be the shop's last Halloween in business.

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According to the owners, they have sold the land that the shop occupies at 2801 Polk Street and are preparing to retire.

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For 67 years, Houstonians have looked to Frankel's for their costuming needs, with Halloween bringing crowds aplenty looking for just that right look.

Terrie Frankel, 72, and Lonnie Frankel, 76, are looking to retire after serving Houston for decades. They will be open through Thanksgiving and close to Christmas for sure, they say. Mrs. Frankel has helped outfit the Thanksgiving Day Parade since the late '70s and is looking forward to one last hurrah.

The property was sold in June, according to Mrs. Frankel. A prominent Houston developer bought the property and Frankel isn't sure of what will happen to the building or the land it sits on after the first of the year. The Frankels are currently just tenants.

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"We were one of the first big businesses to come to the east side of downtown so it's a big deal," Frankel says.

She says that three different offers came knocking on their door and they finally got the price they wanted on their own terms. The area around Frankel's shop has seen a dramatic increase in development since they moved into the neighborhood in late 1999. She jokes that they were pioneers of sorts on the east end.

The Frankel's location that everyone knows off Polk opened in early 2000, with sons Jason Frankel and Aaron Frankel pitching in to work at the 40,000 square-foot building.

"Lonnie and I always said that we were just two kids making a movie," she says. "Now it is time for a change of scenery."

She did hint to Chron.com that they won't be completely retiring and becoming addicted to leisure. They do have some ideas of what that next chapter could mean for everyone in the Frankel family but want to keep people guessing for now.

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How do you get rid of nearly 57,000 rental costumes? Rental costumes are getting sold at varying prices already, Frankel noted.

"Everything has prices on the tags," Frankel said. "It's not a garage sale, we're doing this with dignity and style."

Two months ago the Frankels began contacting teachers, schools, and even churches from all over the country who had done business with them over the decades to make appointments to come and buy costumes first. People are reconnecting with costumes they wore decades ago as students even.

"One woman found her old costume from a "Crucible" production and just melted when she saw it," Frankel said.

Since Sept. 25 the store's hours have been expanded to service Houstonians looking to get outfitted for Halloween week. It's hard to get any of the Frankels on the phone in October without first waiting for them to finish helping a customer.

Back in 1950 Frankel's as Houston knows it began as Morty's Magic Mart, owned by Morty Frankel, located at 808 Texas Avenue. That was across from the Rice Hotel and until not too long ago, the old Houston Chronicle building.

Magic tricks and gags gave way to costumes when a customer asked Morty about an outfit for a magic gig. According to the store lore, Morty's wife Leola stepped up and used her skills as a seamstress to create something special for the act.

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The shop later moved off Fannin Street near the future Texas Medical Center. By the late '70s Leola had grown weary of the business and eldest son Lonnie and wife Terrie took over the business.

What started as a modest costuming sideline boasted nearly 60,000 costumes on hand for rental. It's hard to stump the staff at Frankel's, who can find most any costume someone asks for.

Customers can still spy Mrs. Frankel fluttering around the shop greeting guests, giving costuming advice, and generally cutting up with the staff.

Robert Williams with Ms. Monkey's Emporium travels around Houston and the rest of the country performing with his three Capuchin monkeys Sasha, Darwin, and Cody. He said this week he will miss Frankel's quite a bit, along with the rest of the Houston performing community.

"It's going to be huge for the theater and professional entertainers, as we all shop there," Williams said. Other shops in the area he's visited don't have the style of theatrical quality costumes that he uses for his burlesque-friendly act.

"Shopping with Terrie these last few days have been memorable because being a friend she has been picking out things she wants me to have because of their look and quality," Williams said.

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Williams has gotten small hats for Sasha and Terrie recently picked out a sequin jacket for him that would specifically match fabric for costumes for his three little performers.

Frankel's is not just a Halloween-season phenomenon. They also see business ramp up closer to Christmas when Houston's Santas and elves need to be outfitted to spread cheer.

For kids, its a wonderland of masks and oddities, and adults can transform themselves into something different if only for a few hours. Nearly everyone in Houston has a Frankel's tale. Maybe it was finding the right dress for a high school play or scoring the best costume at the Halloween party.

"There have been lots of tears but also lots of laughter," Terrie says. "It's a joyful occasion in many ways."