I have not seen Ash Parker in over 15 years, but every year on Oct. 31 he emails me — and more than 3,000 others — to say, “Happy Halloween” and reveal an elaborate costume that never fails to amaze. Then he proceeds to wear his costume all day, which is surprising when you consider his job.
Parker, 48, is a senior vice president at Richard Bowers & Company, a commercial real estate firm in downtown Atlanta. That’s where we met. I was his assistant for nearly two years. His job is the suit-and-tie type, but on Halloween, he swaps the professional attire for a masterful disguise. While Halloween costumes might be expected in other jobs, like an elementary school teacher dressed up as a minion, for example, it’s not common to see a real estate broker walking down Peachtree Street dressed as Forrest Gump in his running era.
Parker is a single, empty nester now, but back in 2005 when I first met him, he was in his 20s, married with two young children, and five years into his career.
Credit: Ash Parker
Credit: Ash Parker
“I would’ve called myself shy in many ways back then, but sales helped with that because I love people so much,” said Parker.
He also credits his kids for helping pave the way to his Halloween fixation. Like most children, they loved to dress up for holiday, and Parker found their enthusiasm infectious. He’d been indifferent about dressing up in younger years, but no longer. The first year he dressed up as Colonel Sanders and Yoda the next. Then, in 2007 he donned leather pants and a long, curly black wig to transform into Slash from Guns N’ Roses.
“Everyone at work got a kick out of it,” Parker said. “But I distinctly remember feeling uncomfortable, even nervous. People on the street averted their eyes from me, and that’s the first time I’d ever felt that. I didn’t like that feeling.”
That day he went to The Vortex Bar & Grill for lunch and ordered a beer and a couple shots of whiskey with his burger. He jokes that the alcohol was partly method-acting and partly to quiet his nerves.
Credit: Ash Parker
Credit: Ash Parker
While some were put-off by the Slash costume, in 2012, Parker elicited the opposite reaction when he dressed up as Buddy the Elf from the Will Ferrell movie. That Halloween, strangers became friends, approaching him with waves and smiles, saying “Hi, Buddy!”
He experienced uncomfortable reactions again in 2019.
“I avoid meeting new clients while I’m dressed up to avoid making an unprofessional impression, but I deliver candy to past and existing clients on Halloween,” said Parker. “That year I dressed up as the Joker, and I remember knocking on a door, looking through a window and seeing the people inside looked hesitant or even too scared to let me in. Taking on a different persona for the day is an informative experience, for sure. I’ve gained a lot of insight into the human experience, and it reaffirms my desire to be as nonjudgmental and open-minded as I can.”
Jon Erickson, an attorney at Schulten Ward Turner & Weiss, and a former client of Parker’s, eagerly anticipates Parker’s annual Halloween visit.
Credit: Ash Parker
Credit: Ash Parker
“I don’t know any other adult who dresses up in the workplace,” said Erickson. “Ash’s costumes create fun for so many people. We look forward to it every year and can’t wait to see what he comes up with. I can picture him as Kurt Cobain and Doc Holliday. It’s a refreshing change of pace in what can be a pretty buttoned-up job.”
Parker begins planning his next costume the day after Halloween.
“It’s like that moment in ‘Elf’ when they celebrate the completion of Christmas and in the same sentence say, ‘Let’s get ready for next year,’” said Parker. “Sometimes I know right away, and sometimes I change my mind throughout the year, but no one else ever knows my costume until Halloween.”
Though he takes his time planning the costumes, he doesn’t do practice runs with the makeup. He just wings it on the big day. In 2018 he dressed up as Voldemort, he who shall not be named, and created a prosthetic nose for the first time ever without a hitch.
His costumes are neatly stored and easily accessible in his home. There’s a wide array of hats, wigs and ensembles he created himself.
In 2009 he wanted to dress up as Mel Gibson in “Braveheart,” but the costume cost more than $1,000. He went to a craft store and devoted about 10 hours of work to create a “Braveheart” costume that turned out great.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
“If you look closely, my costumes are never 100%, but if people recognize the character you’re portraying, you did it right,” he said.
His Halloween e-mail blast is always themed accordingly. In 2017, the e-mail featured Parker as Abraham Lincoln, his profile branded on a penny. When he was Buddy the Elf, there were pictures of him sitting and standing on his boss’s desk. Last year, his email looked like a vibrant album cover featuring Parker as a David Bowie doppelgänger.
“Our family eagerly awaits the e-mail containing pictures of Ash in his always stellar guise,” said John Jordak, a friend of Parker’s. “David Bowie and the Joker are among my favorites. Halloween wouldn’t be Halloween without Ash Parker.”
In Parker’s Morningside neighborhood, a block party is held every year on Halloween. The kids have pizza, the parents mingle, and three years ago, a new tradition began. Before they disperse on their door-to-door quest for candy, the children parade down the street to show off their costumes as parents and neighbors applaud with adoration.
“But every parade needs a leader, right?” said Parker. “I’d just become an empty nester when they started doing parades and was touched and honored when the parents with little kids asked me to lead the parade.”
If you blink you may miss it, as the parade travels just the length of a few houses, but there are anywhere between 50 and 100 participants with Parker at the helm.
“It’s the reaction from friends and family that feeds my energy to carry on,” said Parker. “I admit, walking around Atlanta on a workday in full costume can be daunting, but I’m willing to put myself in uncomfortable circumstances if there’s something to gain. … The risk is worth the reward.”
So, the big question is, what will Parker’s costume be for Halloween 2024?
Though his costume has never been revealed before Halloween, this year, Parker said, “Rules are made to be broken.” As a nod to the sequel of the 1988 classic, Parker is dressing up as Beetlejuice.
And, though he’ll save that costume for the big day, he has many more from his archives that he’ll wear throughout the month of October.
“I assume costume attire for every occasion in October, from happy hours to dinner parties,” said Parker. “If you invite me for dinner on Oct. 27, who knows who might show up at your door.”
