Costume Business Not Too Shabby at Goodwill

Sometimes by necessity, Dorothy (Dottie) Tivnen, 48, of La Habra, would shop for the family clothes at the local Goodwill store. “Our family didn’t have a whole lot of money to buy at regular shops and it was national debt for us at school time,” she recalls.

Although her circumstances improved, she continued shopping there. On one visit, she urged a Goodwill store manager to create something with clothes that didn’t sell. She suggested turning them into costumes.

The manager of the La Habra store said, “Why don’t you do it?” It turned into a challenge that ended with Tivnen making and buying costumes for Goodwill’s 10 Orange County stores. Last year, Goodwill grossed $37,000 from costume sales and rentals.

“I was in the costume business for a couple of years in La Habra,” said Tivnen, mother of two grown children and now manager of the Goodwill thrift store in Garden Grove, “but while Halloween was great for the costume business, it didn’t last all year.”

Using that experience, Tivnen created buccaneer, saloon dancer, Indian, clown and other types of costumes from donated clothing, and this year, for the first time, Goodwill bought gorilla, teddy bear, lion and chicken outfits to compete in the growing costume rental business. “The costume rental really became a financial hit,” Tivnen said.

As an example of the business growth, she said the various Goodwill stores reported that many mothers and fathers rented costumes to join their colorfully clad children for trick-or-treating this Halloween.

“I didn’t want this to be a full-time job, but it turned into that,” Tivnen said. “I really love my job. Sometimes when I make a costume and like it, I’ll step back and say to myself, ‘Ah, that’s good.’ ”

Indeed, they usually are, according to Connemara Reisinger, Goodwill’s county marketing vice president. “Tivnen is the most creative person I know. She has tons of simple ideas that people can duplicate and be successful at,” Reisinger said.

Where did she acquire that talent? “I just don’t know,” said Tivnen, who also makes fantasy masks using feathers taken from hats donated to Goodwill. “I just have all these thoughts in my mind. I think they came from watching old movies.”

While stores, newspapers and television illustrate happiness everywhere during the holiday season, that’s pretty much a myth, warns psychotherapist Bobbi Nesheim of Fullerton, who helps lonely singles, young mothers, the divorced and elderly people get through the stressful time of year.

“Not many people are willing to take action to end their unhappiness,” Nesheim said. “People have to learn the skills of making themselves happier.” For instance, she said, if people want to be in a crowd, they have to find that in various groups or volunteer service.

“I have a magic wand,” Hesheim, director of the Center for Creative Growth, said, “and the only way it works is if I get behind people and poke them with it.”

After 31 years with the city of Fullerton, retiring City Council secretary Alice Drake told a parting story about a complaining citizen who wanted quick action from her, noting that as a taxpayer, he was her boss. “I’m glad you told me,” she answered, “because I’ve been wondering who to ask for a raise.”

Like other nature artists, Leslie J. Lehman, 29, of Garden Grove, believes that her paintings of ducks will some day win the annual California duck postage stamp competition. “I know that I’m not good enough yet. I consider it a goal of mine,” she said.

While winners of annual state and national stamp contests end up with loads of money by selling reprint rights, “I really feel strongly about the natural elements and that’s the strongest thing of us all. We need to be in touch with nature,” said Lehman, mother of two young children.

That feeling may be the same for Arthur G. Anderson of Onalaska, Wis., who won the recent nationwide bird hunting stamp contest, but his reward will be more tangible. In recent years as many as 25,000 prints of the winning entry have sold at $100 apiece.

That’s $2.5 million.

Acknowledgments: One-time East Los Angeles gang member Paul Gonzales, 1984 Olympic Gold Medal flyweight boxer, was awarded the Orange County Youth Motivation Task Force “Gold Key” for his work with United Way and anti-gang, pro-education talks with area youths.