What they don't know won't hurt them when shopping for IOs I've crafted. 
I kind of like this, and wouldn't mind it a whole lot (maybe a little). I wouldn't mind it if they also did something like that with the first Detective / Broker.
You know what, the first Detective/Broker at level 5 would also be an excellent choice.
Perhaps Serge could put out a request for help at level 20 to open the costume slot. I always found it kind of odd that he need help, but wouldn't get it unless you went to him first.
Some of these unlockable contacts would make for great "pull new players out of AE" so they can experience what else is out there in the game.
It would also be a nice reminder for vets. I came across an alt of mine that was level 29 and I realized I hadn't done the costume slot or cape missions yet.
Sorry - this does smack a bit of handholding or perhaps going overboard on trying to coax AE players out of Atlas. They see recipes as an option when cashing in tickets - they may figure out that there is a crafting system to turn them into stuff. If they just sell them and stick to IOs they can get for tickets, okey doke.
My scrapper doesn't need an AoE. She IS an AoE.
I'd rather see the devs expand the initial tutorial to include things like crafting IO's, using the train, selling something at the market.
Then make it mandatory for all new accounts to go thru the tutorial once per account. After that the new account is flagged and they can choose to skip the tutorial.
Or they could just put an AE in the tutorial zones, and cut out the middleman ;-)
(Goodness, some folks wax wroth that players can level a dozen heroes to 50 without ever leaving Atlas - we could see real strokes of apoplexy if people could do it without ever ENTERING the starter zone!)
My scrapper doesn't need an AoE. She IS an AoE.
It's not the players that only stay at AE that is the problem, it's the players that get away with a level 50 and don't know basic game mechanics in the rest of the non-AE game content that is the problem.
*bump*
I seem to be getting some other forumites in other topics to notice this idea, so thought I would pop it back to the top.
I've recently read through the AE thread that is currently the hot topic in Player Questions and one of the items brought up was the lack of knowledge of enhancements and crafting.
Granted, as soon as you zone into Steel Canyon or Cap Au Diable, the College Dean pops up as a contact, but since several new players aren't even leaving Atlas Park or Mercy Island, they may not be aware of that tutorial and the information it provides regarding enhancements and crafting them.
My suggestion is that when a character reaches level 10, the appropriate College Dean appears as a contact, just like the Mission Architect tutorial pops up when you reach level 5.
Perhaps this will prompt some of the AE Babies to leave their safe zones and experience some the other part of the game that they may not even know exists.