Monsterz Inc. store is latest brainchild of costume maker Jess West

Monsterz Inc., 7 Johnson Ave., opened in March as a costume store, artist workshop and event venue on the first floor of the Historic Irvington Lodge. (Photo provided by Jess West)

Known for creating over-the-top costumes such as Chewbacca featuring concealed stilts and a combination Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood, artist Jess West is applying her “I can make anything” motto to a new brick-and-mortar venture.

Monsterz Inc., 7 Johnson Ave., opened in March as a costume store, artist workshop and event venue on the first floor of the Historic Irvington Lodge.

The public can purchase creations from the archives of Jess West Costumes alongside thrift-store offerings.

“Basically, it’s everything I’ve had in a storage unit for years,” West said. “Every time I have an event, I make an outfit. There’s no point in hanging on to all of that. I’ve decided to share it with the world.”

Because Monsterz Inc. occupies 3,500 square feet, West came up with additional ways to use the space—including an open-concept workshop for herself and fellow artists plus a stage and a bar.

“Frankenstein Furniture,” an exhibition of upcycled and decorated chairs, is a recent addition close to the stage that’s been the setting for live comedy, drag performances and movie screenings.

The next drag show event is scheduled for May 31, and stand-up comedian Michael Halbig and magician Gabriel Burgund will share a bill on June 1.

West said she’s experiencing a learning curve that’s expected for a new business owner.

“I’m trying to get all the kinks worked out,” said West, who grew up south of Indianapolis. “I’m streamlining the scheduling of events and making sure the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted with the government for how everything’s supposed to run for a business.”

Monsterz Inc. likely will receive a boost of publicity when West appears as a contestant on upcoming Hulu reality competition series “Dress My Tour.” For now, West said she’s not allowed to say anything about the show beyond acknowledging that it’s happening.

According to trade publication Variety, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Upton will host the series in which 11 designers create looks for music stars. No premiere date has been announced for “Dress My Tour.”

West makes it a point to say her costume business is more than a Halloween enterprise, but she’s also happy to set up shop in Irvington—central Indiana’s No. 1 neighborhood for the spooky holiday.

Named after Washington Irving, author of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Irvington hosted its first Halloween festival in 1927. The modern version of the festival debuted in 1946.

The Historic Irvington Lodge, once home to Masonic Lodge No. 666 (the beastly number remains etched on the building’s exterior), is a main attraction for Halloween ghost tours.

By October, West wants to expand Monsterz Inc. into the basement, where seven rooms will be decorated to correlate to the seven deadly sins and accompanying monsters.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon will be paired with lust, West said, and Dracula will be matched to gluttony, for instance.

“We’re hopefully going to have guided tours through those rooms,” she said. “It’s not going to be a haunted house. It’s going to be like an art gallery.”

If it appears West is tackling a lot with Monsterz Inc., she has a track record of transforming ideas into tangible items that impress.

“It’s just experimentation,” she said of her costume work. “It’s continuously trying until you know how to do something specifically. … It’s me coming up with wild ideas from my imagination and then physically having to actually do it.”