Retail Therapy: Fresno cosplay and costume shop opens downtown

If you have a burning desire to dress up as a rainbow unicorn — or maybe something ordinary like Superman — you can now do it at a locally owned costume shop.

The Fun Factory has opened at 1707 Fulton St. in downtown Fresno, right next to Tokyo Garden bar and restaurant.

Inside the 1,500-square-foot shop are 95-cent clown noses, blue wigs, full costumes for all kinds of occasions, little plastic alien dudes made with a 3-D printer, swim suits, bolts of colorful fabric and a woman who can sew just about anything.

Fun Factory is a costume shop first and foremost, with costumes ranging from $40 to $300. The shop sells Halloween costumes, including a gorilla suit and a Princess Leia bikini.

But there’s also costumes for other occasions, including theater and dance performances, Renaissance fairs, steampunk costumes and cosplay.

What’s cosplay?

A take on the words costume and play, or, as Fun Factory owner Jessica Qualls says, “Cosplay is about dressing up as characters from movies, comic books, video games and Japanese anime.”

Hence the adult-sized rainbow unicorn costume, which is Lady Rainicorn from the Cartoon Network’s “Adventure Time.”

Some people dress up for events such as the Fresno Zappcon, which had its inaugural event last fall where people dressed up as pirates and Star Wars characters. The next one is Oct. 17-18.

But Fun Factory also caters to people dressing up for other events, such as the Tower’s District’s zombie pub crawl and Star Wars pub crawl.

“We had a chicken, but we sold it the other day,” says Qualls’ boyfriend Dave Ewald.

He has a background in 3D animation and can make custom objects for costumes with a 3D printer, such as belts or jewelry.

He also sells “Baron von Ewald’s Funny Little Creatures,” at the store, colorful little plastic creatures with big ears made in the 3D printer.

You’ll find a few retro-inspired bathing suits in the store, too, with polka dots and cherries. Qualls makes them as part of her Swim Betty swimsuit line she sells online.

She plans to put those sewing skills to use making custom costumes, too. And since she got her start years ago making outfits for exotic dancers that had to look flattering, she says she can make a costume for any body size. She’ll eventually host sewing classes.

Fun Factory is open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Artisan Faire

Mia Cuppa Caffe in the Tower District has started hosting a monthly Artisan Faire, selling everything from antiques to hummingbird feeders made from soda bottles.

The coffee shop at 620 E. Olive Ave. will host the next Artisan Faire from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday Aug. 8, and continue with the events on the second Saturday of every month.

Up to 30 vendors are expected to sell, many of them in Mia Cuppa’s big back room, which it has dubbed “the sanctuary.” Larger booths are located outside.

What else can you find for sale? Chemical-free incense, caramel apples, jewelry, tie dye, handmade soaps, Frida Kahlo lavender sachets, crocheted doughnuts and more.

This story was originally published August 1, 2015 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Retail Therapy: Fresno cosplay and costume shop opens downtown."