While Christmas is usually the biggest retail season for most stores, Halloween is bigger for costume, thrift and vintage clothing stores.

"One-third of our year's business is done during October," says Barbara Siegel, one of the dealers at Moon Zooom Endangered Clothing, 1630 W. San Carlos St.

Some of the dealers set aside items that would work for costumes year-round, bringing them into the 16-year-old vintage clothing store in mid-September.

"A lot of what we sell at Halloween, we sell during the year as well," Siegel says. "It's all real clothing. We frown upon cheap, packaged stuff.

"If you have no time or imagination, you can get a packaged costume for $50. Here we have pieces and components, no packages. Use your imagination."

As an example, Siegel points out that instead of buying a packaged disco or hippie costume, you can buy actual clothing from those eras.

Packaged costumes are the order of the day at Savers, the thrift store at 2222 Business Circle at the corner of West San Carlos Street and Bascom Avenue.

For Halloween, Savers brings in a lot of new, packaged costumes, masks and accessories, which are mixed in with used items.

At nearby Natasha's Attic, 427 S. Bascom Ave., it's Halloween year-round. Customers can buy packaged costumes, put one together out of components or rent one.

The staff is helpful and patient with those who can't decide between a $5.98 and a $32.98 Roman helmet or what color feather boa they really want. This is the place for fishnet colors beyond black, false eyelashes in rainbow colors and costumes you might never have thought of, such as being a slot machine.

Natasha's even carries Venetian-style leather masks starting at $40.

Halloween is also major at Diddam's, 460 Meridian Ave., where close to a third of the store is devoted to costumes, décor and favors. You can decorate a room or your entire house with their offerings.

While thrift stores are usually a good place to hunt for Halloween goodies, only Salvation Army, 702 W. Taylor St. at Stockton Avenue, has put much effort into it this year.

Halloween items are scattered throughout the store, although the special Halloween sale on Oct. 21 has depleted a lot of the stock.

Neither the Goodwill at 1691 W. San Carlos St. nor New Hope Thrift Store at 1881 W. San Carlos St. has large Halloween displays this year.

One of the most innovative Halloween retailers is Movie Arts Posters Galore at 998 The Alameda.

Owner Blayne Holes, in partnership with Dan Morales, has opened a second room in his store he's calling Midian Gallery.

Taking its name from the secret city of lost souls in Clive Barker's Nightbreed, Midian Gallery is now the home of grotesque horror masks and science fiction books and films.

There's a collection of action figures, including one from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The X-Files, Dr. Evil and Godzilla.

Holes also offers a number of horror film posters, including The Exorcist, Corpse Bride, Land of the Dead, and The Devil's Rejects.

One of the most unusual items is a vomit bag advertising the film Mark of the Devil, priced at $2.

Retailers adjacent to Movie Arts are also showing the Halloween Spirit.

Everything's Blooming, 986 The Alameda, has an inflated giant purple spider on the sidewalk and Halloween bouquets inside.

Quinceañera Dream, at 982 The Alameda, has put a beautiful pale orange gown along with a black one in one of their windows.

The confectioners of the area are also offering Halloween theme candies, more appropriate as adult gifts than for giving to hordes of trick-or-treaters.

Truffles and other goodies can be found at Schurra's Candy Factory, 840 The Alameda, See's Candies, 1675 W. San Carlos St. and inside Westfield Valley Fair Shopping Center and Joseph Schmidt at Santana Row.

Skeletons and skulls, common Halloween decorations, are integral to the display at Pueblo Viejo Imports, 1060 Park Ave.

Just inside the entrance co-owner Rocio Guzman has erected a traditional Day of the Dead altar.

While they are common in Mexico, they are difficult to find in San Jose, as are some of the items used in them.

Guzman says customers are thanking her for setting up an altar.

Parts of it are for display only, but the sugar skulls, religious icons, colored tissue paper banners and Day of the Dead figures are for sale.

Celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2 in Mexico, Los Dias de Los Muertos is a time when family members honor their deceased relatives with symbolic offerings of a traditional bread with crossed bones in dough on the top, flowers, favorite items and figurines.