Secret Oktober

Great little Goth shop in Austin! I love that they have new and used items.

Excellent store — I have been shopping here for years and they always have something that I want. The unique rock tees are the main reason I always shop here, because you can’t find them anywhere else in Austin. They do have some other little treasures in there that you might like depending on what you’re looking for such as a nice 1800’s looking steampunk vest that I got for a costume I’m putting together for Halloween this year.
This is a locally owned store by two very hard working American women that I have grown to love over the years because I wear their clothes ³⁄₅ days a week. If you want compliments on your clothes — this is the place to go if you like punk, goth, or just the rock n’ roll kind of style on your body.
Also, they will consign your clothes if they fall under the rock/​goth/​punk categories. I have been doing this for years and I just turn around and spend the money on their clothes anyhow but this is a good way to pay for some of your clothes there.
Bottom Line:
–Excellent store for goth/punk/rock-n’-roll types
–Locally owned so you can leave knowing you’re supporting Austin culture
–They do consign clothing if it fits the profile

Great stuff, but waaaaaay overpriced. The least expensive tshirts are 21.99. Don’t be expecting any sort of bargain, I can get less expensive clothes at Hot Topic.

Love this place! A great mix of new and vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories. The girl who works here (with the orange hair… I don’t know her name) is super sweet and helpful. I love that they support local events! I always find flyers for badass events at the store. It’s where I go for my gothy needs. Heart heart heart.

Such a sweet store. I went here looking for exactly what I wanted and got it. A quality corset is hard to find and they have it. Sizes, wow, I had no idea. I got schooled by these sweet ladies when I came by. You’d think a girl who has 7 corsets would know her own size? Guess I wasn’t buying quality. Great store, so much more in there than I thought would fit. Would go back in a heart beat, highly recommend.

Love this store! Love the girls who own it as well Cassandra and Mary are the best women. And they are in a new location so the store ain’t in the small location anymore! More selection and 2 dressing rooms! You should most def. check out if your visiting Austin, or live there! Sells a lot of local designer clothing and jewelery!

I love Secret Oktober. My love started when Cassandra first opened the store. I was just a high school student waaaay back then and I decided to interview her for my economics project on small businesses. She was so sweet and helpful. Then of course there is the merchandise. Over the years I have seen the selection grow and grow so much that they needed a bigger store! The new location is awesome, super easy to shop in now with no squeezing necessary. They make it very easy for me to sell on consignment there. All my high quality gothy clothes from high school that I will never in a million years fit into again went there and always sold relatively quickly. Sometimes I am strong and walk out with the money but most times I am a stereotypical girl and blow it on a new waist cincher, fingerless gloves, hair dye, or a lacy skirt. Did I mention I love them?! I love them!

I love this place, absolutely love it. Why? Best place for me to get good corsets and they are the most reliable supplier of my preferred hair dye. If I have some extra cash to spare, maybe I’ll pick up a purse or some stockings while I’m at it, but I tend to come here mostly for my hair dye. You keep stocking it, I’ll keep buying it!

They have a pretty decent selection of corsets, but most of their clothing tends towards stereotypical mall goth BDSM. The gal behind the counter was friendly and helpful with helping me choose a corset size, and she was a total pro about helping with lacing me up for the very first time. (Ah, breathlessness! Organ crowding! LOVE IT!)
Thing is, she also told me that the corset I was trying on was locally made. It wasn’t a major selling point for me, but the smug satisfaction that can notoriously come along with buying local disippated like a fart in the wind when I took a better look at it back at home and saw the MADE IN THAILAND tag sewn into an inside seam. Secret Oktober, why’re you playing games with my heart like that?

Loads of fun shopping here and really nice people to deal with.

Every woman should own at least one sexy corset! They have a great selection and are extremely friendly and helpful.

I came to this place today with a friend.
Now I’m not into the stuff that they sell there, but I sure used to be.
They did have anything you needed for your make-​children-​cry-​with-​a-​glance ensemble, but they were way way over priced. What? You think I would pay $ 40 or more for a corset that was already once worn? Tiny tears in the silk and everything? NO WAY! The same price for a dress that I could make in a few hours? No ma’am. And the little trinkets and hair flowers, yeah they’re nice and they can be meaningful but its all just a bunch of useless junk if you make me pay about $ 10 for something of low quality.
Any one who decides to splurge here should really think twice about what they’re doing with their money.

HOUNDED mercilessly by the fiery orb of death in the central midsummer Texas sky, Tim Burton’s local minions shamble and shadow their pale lurky best. Patrons of Secret Oktober slink in and out, hiding beaded sweat beneath spiked collars and corseted ball gowns.
(Yeah ok I rarely see Austinites in corseted ball gowns, but I like to think they’d be here.)
Like the (mostly) pale ones say, S.O. is like Hot Topic, but with a lot more of a lot of stuff, crammed into a much smaller space. The salesfolk (who were oddly large in number when I was there, but maybe they were just temporarily helping out) were very friendly and helpful. Make sure to ask about their wacky hair colorings if that’s your thing. Bunches of accessories, leggings, belt buckles, tshirts, and black stuff.
The not-​so-​Secret could definitely use a bigger space and better ventilation. With the closing of Atomic City, I desire S.O.‘s expansion into badass shoes and boots. Ah, what price, gothiness…
Suddenly, I heard a tapping. as of someone gently rapping. Rapping at my chamber door. You heard me rapping at Secret October, right?

This is a cute little shop. Went with a friend for Timeless Trends’ trunk sale, as I’d never worn a corset and wanted to get fitted in person. The place is small, but stuffed with goth/​rock/​punk/​etc. apparel. One downer: aside from the corsets they were showcasing, very little looked like it would fit me — and I’m usually a size ¹⁰⁄₁₂. Many of the brands they carry just run really small.

We tend to go here at least once a month to visit with Mary and/​or Cassandra in their cute little shop. They are very friendly and always know what’s going on around town for dark-​minded individuals.
They have a great selection clothing-​wise and are always open to ordering things in your size if they don’t have a particular item in your size.
While I like the space they’re in now (it seems more cozy than small to me), it is a little jam packed and I find myself often wedged between the racks. Racks of cute stuff, but pretty jam-​packed in there.
Other than all that, you will definitely find something unique here. They have everything from clothing, accessories, gifts… they even sell tickets for shows at Elysium. Overall, definitely a store worth checking out.
Also, be sure to park in the back of the building. It is tempting to park next door underneath their beautiful mural, but that’s not their lot, just FYI.

teeny lil’ shop stacked to the ceiling with spooky delights and enough fishnet to snare a giant squid.
Great prices-​, clothing in more than just junior sizes, steel-​boned corsetry, band t-​shirts, locally designed steampunkery, Special Effects hair dye etc.
Your one stop freak shop.

Upon first view, one would say eh, I can get this stuff at Hot Topic right? WRONG! You will find much more here, plus a lot of really talented designers sell their wares at this location. I think it’s important to support places that give local designers a chance to sell their product and line in their own town. For some reason, Austin doesn’t to be up to par yet. I feel Secret Oktober takes it up a notch by supporting a talented designer such as Emily Clay and all her very creative items. It’s not just the clothes, but the accessories, corsets and all those really cute things are dying to be a part of your wardrobe. As a designer, I enjoy the spike selection, as well as hosiery. It’s a great selection, so when you’re coming with the intent on buying fishnets, you come out of there with at least four different kinds of hosiery and colors.
Thanks Secret Oktober, don’t ever change!

Depending on your tastes in clothes, this is an awesome place to go and one of the stops you must go if you want to look like a goth or rocker or if you want to develop a funky, ecclectic style to your wardrobe. I’m probably the latter since I went through my stages of goth, rocker, indie/mod…etc. I just say funky ecclectic style because you can’t label my style to one thing… I go from experimental to casual to dressy to sports fan. Go figure right.
I saw this awesome skirt that had a different kinds of clothing material and it only cost me $ 4.99.I tried it on and the salesperson was helpful. She slid some slips underneath the door when I showed my friend that the side had a see-​through portion. Nevertheless I was in love with it and I definitely bought it right away. I just have to buy a slip.
There are a lot of clothes in this tiny place that I wish it had a bigger space. I love coming here because it is so unique. If you go to Sugar Mama’s it’s next door. So you can get a cupcake and maybe a corset. Maybe???

What drew me into this store originally was the tagline via the Austin Chronicle: «Best place to get dressed under $ 10.» So, I figured with it as close to my house as it is, why not? This place, that definitely caters more to the pale skin and tall black industrial boots crowd, has a little of EVERYTHING though. So what is their favorite color is black?! You can also find plenty of glam tops and pants, skirts, dresses, tights, belts, corsets… etc. They also carry Emily Clay designs (local designer-​she rocks!)
They do trade-​ins (great place to get rid of last year’s Halloween costume and get THIS year’s Halloween costume) and have crazy sales. You can get purses for $ 2 – 5 sometimes! Best of all, they host occasional parties in-​house, and although they are the tiniest shop ever (I mean, seriously not even 400 square feet!) they still have a good time and bring in a good crowd of people.
Secret Oktober is an Austin institution. Every rocker should check out their threads. Plus the dollar rack outside is nice too!

Do you consider yourself goth, industrial, punk, or alternative? Do you shop at Hot Topic? Please. You can’t really call yourself any of that if you shop at the mall. Go to Secret Oktober if you’re really going to be on the fringe of fashion.
They have all shades of black, brown, and plum. Corsets, band t-​shirts, clunky mary janes, studded belts and wristbands, fishnets, pirate jewelry, hair dye, stickers, wallets, pins, and vinyl wear. Even «odd dolls» — these freakish dolls compiled of different doll parts and twigs. Everything you’ll find at Hot Topic but without the corporate gloss — and weirder. You know you’ve always wanted a cute stuffed bunny with a pirate eye patch (a Bunny and Cloud original
).
If you’re so underground, you don’t want to leave your house, you can even shop online at their website.