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Essex Junction, Vermont - October 2, 2009

At Triple Loop in Essex Junction, the scariest part of October for Laurie Hammond is her to-do list. She chuckles, "It is a lot of work for me, but I love it!"

Hammond is a costume designer, filling custom orders for adult-sized Halloween getups. "No two things we do are alike," explains Hammond.

Halloween is a sideline for this businesswoman whose grandmothers taught her to sew. The rest of the year, she makes performance outfits for youth dancers and figure skaters.

Triple Loop takes back many of the costumes it makes for customers after October 31st, adding them to an ever-growing inventory of rentals that started taking shape when Hammond bought another company's rental costume collection more than five years ago.

Hammond says renting costumes is an environmentally-friendly alternative to buying costumes and makeup with all their packaging. "My new slogan is 'Go green for Halloween!'" she laughs.

Asked if she ever sees damaged costumes following raucous Halloween parties, the designer says, "Well, I haven't seen anything completely destroyed. But we repair them when they need it and keep them rentable."

To this costumer, comfort is job number one. It can be tricky with unusual designs like the gingerbread man or Mr. Peanut. But with a little Yankee ingenuity and a lot of flashy fabric, Laurie Hammond gets the job done. "I'm pretty tired when Halloween is finished," she sighs.

All those grown-up trick-or-treaters should be looking good in her "Made in Vermont" costumes.

The designer rents her custom outfits for around $35. But for a heftier fee, she'll make you an outfit you get to keep. Click here for more information on Triple Loop.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont