Say it ain't so

Iconic Austin costume shop Lucy in Disguise to close after 38 years on South Congress

There is no word on what will happen to the resident zebra statue — Carmen Zebra-Jones — on the roof of Lucy in Disguise.

Courtesy of KVUE

KVUE — It will soon be time to say goodbye to another legendary Austin business: Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds on South Congress Avenue.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, August 2, the iconic costume shop announced plans to shutter by the end of the year.

"After 38 years of business, Lucy in Disguise will close at the end of this year. Our owner, Jenna Radtke, opened the store in 1984 and since then, the store has survived a lot of changes and grown into an Austin institution," the statement read. "There are not a lot of year-round costume shops in the world and we're very grateful to our customers for their ongoing support. We've loved being a source of creativity and inspiration for your parties, plays, and productions. It has been a pleasure to fulfill your costuming dreams and fantasies. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

The costume shop will be moving to a "purchase only" model starting on August 31, with rentals ceasing after August 30.

"At the moment, we still have plenty of stock and are ready to have one last Halloween with all of you," the store wrote. "As we will not be restocking, we recommend coming in early if you'd like to shop with us and we certainly hope you will!"

The store has been a staple on South Congress for decades, inspiring tourists and locals alike with wall-to-wall costumes, jewelry and accessories galore. It opened on April 1, 1984.

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Read the full story and watch the video on KVUE.com.

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Top of the class

UT Austin ranks among best U.S. schools for entrepreneurship in 2025

UT Austin, University of Texas at Austin, top Texas schools, best public universities, best colleges

Photo by Alexander Williams on Unsplash

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The University of Texas at Austin has earned two top-10 spots on The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur’s lists of the best graduate and undergraduate schools for entrepreneurship studies for 2025.

UT Austin's McCombs School of Business ranks seventh in the graduate category, and UT ranks second in the undergraduate category.

The school is no stranger to the prestigious national lists. In the 2024 rankings, UT also appeared as No. 2 among undergraduate programs, and No. 6 in the ranking for the best graduate programs.

This year marks the fourth time that the school has landed in the top 5 on the undergraduate side, and the 12th time in 15 years that McCombs has made the top 10 among graduate programs in the annual ranking, UT notes in a news release.

The only other schools in Texas to make either top-10 list for 2025 were Rice University (No. 1 graduate school) and the University of Houston (No. 1 undergraduate program).

Rankings for The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur’s 2025 lists were based on a survey of administrators at nearly 300 schools in the U.S., Canada, and Europe that offer entrepreneurship studies. Among the more than 40 factors used for the rankings were academic programs, faculty credentials, mentorship opportunities, and alumni entrepreneurship ventures.

"If the focus of the MBA program at McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin were to be summed up in one word, it would be 'collaboration,'" reads the 2025 graduate schools report. "Students in more than 20 concentrations uniformly crow over its 'incredibly collaborative culture,' citing the 'supportive culture' as a top reason they ultimately picked the program. As a 'top 20 school,' the 'rigorous academic[s]' and 'focus on clean energy,' 'technology,' and 'entrepreneurship,' are other stand-out elements of the program."

The top 10 schools on the list of 50 best graduate schools for entrepreneurship studies in 2025 are:

1. Rice University
2. University of California-Los Angeles
3. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
4. Washington University in St. Louis
5. Babson College
6. University of Washington
7. University of Texas at Austin
8. University of Virginia
9. Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands
10. University of South Florida

The top 10 schools on the list of 50 best undergraduate schools for entrepreneurship studies in 2025 are:

1. University of Houston
2. University of Texas at Austin
3. Babson College
4. University of Washington
5. Washington University in St. Louis
6. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
7. University of Maryland-College Park
8. Miami University of Ohio
9. Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico
10. Northeastern University

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The story originally was published on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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