Evangeline's Information

Gifts, toys, and practical jokes. A brief history... 1974 Evangeline's opens on K Street in a beautiful, historic building, the Howard House in Old Sacramento. All of the buildings in Old Sacramento are in the process of restoration to their original Gold Rush era spendor. The owner, Dorothea Evangeline Chaussé, is delighted with the location because it is a perfect fit with the original concept of the store selling antiques. 1975 to 1984 Business is good! But not the antique business! The store is evolving and changing and the product mix becomes more what you see today: toys, funny cards and other silly, precious things. The store expands! Disco is king and the hottest discotheque in town is right upstairs at D.O. Mills. The importance of this will be revealed later…. 1985 Dorothea retires and give the keys to her daughter Deborah who will now have to “settle down.” The store has added Halloween costumes to the mix of merchandise and as disco dims so does D.O. Mills, which closes for good. 1992 Evangeline's expands to 4800 sq. ft, taking over the entire ground floor space of the Howard House and the Lady Adams building. 2003 Evangeline's Costume Mansion is created in the upstairs space formally occupied by D.O.Mills. The transformation from restaurant and disco to costume store is completed by August and the first seasonal opening is a huge success. 2007 and beyond Evangeline's and the “Mansion” as we call it, are continuing to do well and after endless procrastination, this website is launched. There. Done.