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Haunting new store to open in San Marcos

Actor David Howard Thornton dresses up as Art the Clown from the movie Terrifer 2, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, at Freaky Findz in New Braunfels. This movie scene was filmed in the store. Photo courtesy of the Terrifer movie franchise.
Actor David Howard Thornton dresses up as Art the Clown from the movie Terrifer 2, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022, at Freaky Findz in New Braunfels. This movie scene was filmed in the store. Photo courtesy of the Terrifer movie franchise.

Husband-and-wife duo Dean and Marta Gibson are bringing a touch of the macabre to San Marcos with the reopening of Freaky Findz. Set to open this fall in the former Paper Bear storefront at 218 N. LBJ Drive.

The store, which specializes in costumes, masks, gag gifts and theatrical makeup started when Dean was a child. When Dean got feeling in his hands again after a polio vaccine left him paralyzed, his doctor suggested working on model kits as therapy, and his parents purchased horror-themed ones.

“After a while, I got better at the kits, and I decided to enter them in a contest and ended up winning and got to meet Lon Chaney Jr., the original Wolfman,” Dean said. “Meeting him and my interest in monster makeup and costuming has been a very big influence in my life.”

Freaky Findz merchandise displayed on shelves and racks, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, at the Freaky Findz in New Braunfels. Photo courtesy of Dean Gibson.

When Dean started his company, the Halloween Headquarters, in 1980, he set up temporary shops in New Mexico and West Texas. He opened his first store called “Just for Fun” in El Paso in 1983, offering similar products to Freaky Findz and showcasing movie props he collected from Hollywood back lot sets. This prompted Marta to persist in opening another shop.

“After his retirement, I was very insistent in him opening up another store in New Braunfels,” Marta said. “Eventually we came up with the name Freaky Findz and have had this shop for twelve years now.”

With the rising cost of rent for small businesses in New Braunfels and the success at their Tanger Outlet location that closed last year, the couple felt they were ready to find a new spot in San Marcos.

Freaky Findz merchandise displayed on shelves and racks, Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, at the Freaky Findz in New Braunfels. Photo courtesy of Dean Gibson.

Gracie Lay, a former manager of the Tanger location, currently operates as the human resource specialist for Freaky Findz. She runs the website for the store and fell in love with the communities that showed the shop love over the years.

“I really loved seeing the wide range of people coming into the store,” Lay said. “We had sorority girls, horror fans and many others come in.”

A combination of factors drew the Gibsons to a new city. The couple is eager to serve the Texas State theatre department, which aligns with their store’s focus on high-quality theatrical products. However, the news that a movie studio would soon call San Marcos home was also a pleasant surprise for them.

“We didn’t know about the movie studio coming to San Marcos when we started looking for locations, so that was icing on the cake,” Dean said. “The announcement of the studios coming to town is phenomenal. We will be right there at the start of things for the studio, so we really do hope it becomes a prominent studio in Texas.”

With a strong love for the San Marcos community and a unique product offering, the Gibsons are optimistic about the future of Freaky Findz. Although the building required significant renovations, including a bat remediation process, they are ready to open the new location this fall and cater to the ever-growing San Marcos.

“Although we started in New Braunfels, we got a lot of good experience with customers in San Marcos that at one point we felt like focusing more on our Tanger location,” Dean said. “We just love the San Marcos community so much and truly enjoy the location of our new shop. This is the right spot for us.”

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