PHOTOS BY BELEVATI STUDIOS

Terry Sinopoli’s story is one woven together by family, resilience, creativity, and generations of powerful women who dared to build something extraordinary long before it was common for women to lead businesses. As the owner of Arlene’s Costumes — a beloved Rochester institution celebrating over 70 years in business — Terry is proudly carrying forward a five-generation legacy that began with two women chasing a dream in the 1950s. What started as a small costume and vintage clothing shop built by her Great Aunt Arlene and great-grandmother Molly has grown into one of the most recognized costume businesses in the region, rooted deeply in community, imagination, and heart.

For Terry, this business has never just been about costumes. It has always been about transformation, connection, and creating joy. Raised among racks of costumes, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit, she grew up inspired by the fierce women who came before her — women who taught her to work hard, love hard, and always lead with heart. Though Terry initially pursued a different professional path in government, politics, and management, life eventually brought her back home to the family business where she discovered that continuing the legacy wasn’t just her responsibility — it was her calling.

The last year has brought unimaginable heartbreak for Terry and her family with the loss of both her beloved Aunt Arlene and her mother Cindy only one month apart. Yet even through grief, Terry found purpose in carrying their vision forward. Watching customers, friends, and community members pour into the funeral homes to honor the women who built Arlene’s Costumes reminded her just how deeply this business has impacted generations of Rochester families. It became clear that Arlene’s was never simply a store — it was a place where memories were made, traditions were born, and people were given permission to become whoever they dreamed of being.

Today, Terry continues to evolve the business while honoring the traditions that built it. From embracing e-commerce and social platforms to expanding community partnerships and interactive experiences, she has helped modernize Arlene’s Costumes while keeping family, customer service, and community at the center of everything they do. Through every challenge, pivot, and triumph, Terry has remained committed to one simple mission: making people feel seen, celebrated, and transformed. And in many ways, that is exactly what Arlene’s Costumes has done for Rochester for over seven decades — creating magic, one costume at a time.

Legacy & Origins

Take us back to the beginning — how did Arlene’s Costumes first come to life over 70 years ago?
My Great Aunt Arlene and her mother Mildred (Molly) Stephens worked for Molly’s sister and sister-in-law at a costume shop and vintage clothing store in Elmira, New York . They realize that they wanted to do the same thing but of course couldn’t open it in the same town and were looking for a fresh start. They moved north to the big city of Rochester New York and started the Next to New Shop and Arlene’s Costumes on East Main Street (where Salvatore’s is now).

What do you know about the original vision your family had when they started the business?
Molly and Arlene wanted to start their own business, be creative and be able to make a living. That was unheard of in the 50’s.

How has being a women-led business from the very beginning shaped your identity and success?

I grew up in this business. I always knew I wanted to be a leader and follow in the footsteps the women who came before me . Well I didn’t initially intend on running the business it was these women who helped me reach for my dreams.

I was the first in my family to go to college. I earned my associates degree first from MCC then went on to St John Fisher to get my bA in political science and then continued on for my masters in public administration from Brockport I worked in government and politics for several years living in Washington DC and Albany for a few of those. I moved home and worked in management and training until my children were born and I was looking for more flexibility and decided to go back to working with my family.

Can you share a story about your grandmother or the early generations that still inspires you today?
I remember hearing my Aunt Arlene talk about how she and my great-grandmother would make costumes for children in the neighborhood because they saw some of them walking around in garbage bags.

Family & Generational Impact

What does it mean to you personally to carry on a five-generation family legacy?
It means the world to me. The thought of carrying on a legacy passed on from multiple generations including my Great – Grandmother, my Grandmother and her sister, my mother and now me is amazing.
How did your mother influence the way you lead the business today?
My mother was fierce. She she truly was a force of nature. She not only ran the business but truly influenced the way that our industry is run today. She worked in a factory prior to coming to work for the business full time and she ran a tight ship.

After your mother’s passing, how did stepping into this role change your perspective — both personally and professionally?
When my mother passed on July 24, 2025 (one month to the day after Arlene) it was heart-wrenching. She was truly one of my best friends. We literally sat next to each other and talked everyday even if we weren’t at work. Her passing was very sudden and essentially caused by a brain aneurysm so it made me think about my health more, my children and my fiancé Vinny and the business. I have three younger brothers and an older sister and all of us were affected by her passing.

What are some of the values that have been passed down through each generation?
Our family passes down the values of work hard, play hard, love hard., family is everything to us and we all spend time together on a regular basis. We work together, travel together, camp in the summer together and laugh together.

How has your family dynamic played a role in keeping the business strong through the years?
We not only treat each other as family but we treat our customers, vendors and employees as family. It has created a sense of community and family that is noticed by anyone who walks in our store.

Evolution of the Business

How has Arlene’s Costumes evolved from when it first opened to what it is today?
Only first started costume shop was strictly rentals. My great-grandmother believed that if you sold things people wouldn’t come back whereas if you rented them then they would always want to come back.

It really wasn’t until my grandmother joined the business and the early 80s that the retail component came in to being as strong as it is. By the time my mother joined the business in the mid-90s retail was a huge portion of our industry and our business. We started opening pop-up stores before there were really pop-up stores all over the area from the late 90s through 2019 in malls and plazas cross the Rochester area and even in Buffalo.

We have had a website since 2000 but started selling on Amazon as a third-party seller in 2016. We expanded with eBay and Walmart over the next couple of years.

Within the last couple of years we recreated our website to be powered by Shopify which allows us to sell on 10 different platforms including Shop, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and soon Temu.

We could have never imagined this in the beginning.

What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in the costume and event industry over the years?
I am currently the elected President of the National Costumers ASSOCIATION (NCA). Our industry has seen so many changes. The NCA celebrated its 100th birthday 3 years ago. We celebrated in Indianapolis with a weekend long special event where I took my oath of office as president of the NCA.

The internet has changed everything. Many costume shops sell online. Some have side hustles like mascot creations, theater, or like our airbrush face painting and temporary tattoos.

How have you balanced honoring tradition while still innovating and staying relevant?
While we sell online and do airbrush face painting and temporary tattoos, we still keep customer service and family as the primary focus of our entire business.

Personally, I ask myself what would Cindy (my mom) and Aunt Arlene do. If they wouldn’t do what I’m thinking about doing then it’s just not something that we should be doing. Usually though I remind myself that they were traveling and would do anything to keep the business in the forefront.

This year we turn 70. We have been in business since 1956. My grandmother Donna and I thought about doing advertising like Billboards and TV and radio and then we thought about it and realized that Arlene and Cindy would want us to do things that are much more in person and face to face. We expanded our networking which is something that I do very well with. We joined to Chambers – Irondequoit and Brighton so far. We also joined the Rochester Women’s Network.

Were there any pivotal moments or challenges that could have changed the future of the business?
Covid with something that truly could have changed the course of our future. We were very lucky and that we had pivoted several years before in 2016 realizing that the internet was the future of our industry and that we needed to make changes sooner rather than later. We continued to sell online through covid and even though I worked from home for 3 months, I processed orders every morning. Cindy helped me with anything that I need and Donna and Arlene pulled the stock since they lived above our warehouse and office. We also followed many restaurants in the area and started a local pickup service that allowed local customers to come and pick up things like Easter Bunnies so that they could visit their loved ones in nursing homes or visit family members from the driveway.

Resilience & Growth

What has been one of the toughest moments in the business, and how did your family overcome it?
The deaths of Arlene and Cindy one month apart from each other absolutely crushed us. We came together as a family worked hard and ended up having the best Halloween we have ever had and that was 100% in their memory.

What keeps you motivated to continue growing and pushing forward, especially after such a personal loss?
I was determined to keep the business going but when I saw all of the people come to see us at the funeral home for both Arlene and Cindy and it wasn’t just family and close friends it was customers and community members, that told me that we had to keep this going. That it was important not just to our family but to families all over the Rochester area.

How do you define success — and has that definition changed over time?
I think success changes with the moment that you are in at the time when I was in high school or college it was good grades make me a little money when I was in my professional life in the beginning it was getting promotions or making more money when I started my family it was my children’s success. Now it is still my children’s success but also my business success as well.

Community & Connection

Arlene’s has become such a staple in the Rochester community — what does that support mean to you?
The support that we see from the community means so much to us. We had an open house celebrating our 70 years in March and the community outpouring was incredible. It was also amazing to see so many people from our extended Rochester family at my Aunt Arlene and mother’s funerals over the summer.

What role does community connection play in your business model today?
We firmly believe in giving back to the community as the Rochester Area is a huge part of our business. We include charities such as the Ugly Disco, Turkey Bash, Autism Up, schools and other organizations as part of our business model. I am on the board for the Ugly Disco which raises funds for Golisano Children’s Hospital and CURE. I also work with the Skycoasters to promote the Turkey Bash which raises money for Honor Flight.

Do you have a favorite customer story or moment that truly captures what Arlene’s is all about?
A number years back, a man and his niece came into one of our pop-up shops at Eastview Mall trying to find a Halloween costume for her.

The gentleman said that, unfortunately, the girl’s parents had passed away in a car accident recently and he was strapped for cash and needed to figure out how to get her a Halloween costume. All she wanted to be was a bird.

I started piecing together a costume out of whatever I could find for the girl, who was about 9 years old.
I worked with some of our employees and found her a green cape, a feather boa and some loose feathers. The little girl said, ‘Well, I have a bright-colored sweatsuit at home, and I can put that together,’” she said.

About a week or so later, at the mall’s trick-or-treat party, the outfit came together. It was cosplay before cosplay was really a thing.

All of a sudden I got tackle-pounced by this little 9-year-old all dressed up as a bird. She was flapping her arms and running around and so excited, and her uncle was crying and I was crying. So, I got to make a little kid very, very happy by making her into a bird.

Providing the means for someone’s metamorphosis is in the shop’s lifeblood. In that way costumes are a bridge between worlds — between the real and the imaginary, between dreams and reality between heaven and earth.

Looking Ahead

What is your vision for the next generation of Arlene’s Costumes?
My hope is that Arlene’s Costumes will continue in the family for many years and many generations.

Are there plans to keep the business in the family — and what does that look like for the future?
We hope that the business will stay in the family. The next generation has their own dreams but I hope has their own dreams but I hope that someone will love it enough to keep it going the same way I have.

If you could speak to the next generation of women entrepreneurs in your family (and beyond), what advice would you give them about building something that lasts for decades?
I think the best piece of advice that I can give is to love what you do because as a dear friend of mine says if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. Combining laughter, love, family and community is what Arlene’s Costumes is all about. I hope that the women in our family and in our community can love what they do as much as we do.