Spirit Halloween stores are seemingly popping up everywhere yet again. This year they have opened even more stores to meet what is suspected to be a record high demand.
The National Retail Federation has predicted that consumers will spend $10.6 billion this Halloween season, with 36% of them shopping at specialty stores like Spirit Halloween. Each customer is expected to spend around $100 on Halloween decor, candy, costumes, etc.
In the Dallas Fort-Worth area alone, around 34 Spirit Halloween stores are 34 Spirit Halloween stores operating.
Spirit Halloween now has 1,450 stores open across the U.S. and Canada. Halloween stores like Spirit operate under a pop-up lease, meaning they only pay for the space when they need it.
Usually found in strip malls where there are closed-down big-box retailer stores, they can take up a lot of space, often around 50,000 square feet.
Halloween stores face logistical difficulties with setting up, as they have to start completely from scratch each year.
The first Spirit Halloween opened in 1983 in California. It was originally merely an extension of another clothing store. Later on, Spirit Halloween was sold to Spencer’s, who still holds ownership today.
Halloween stores like Spirit have online websites up all year round, but their storefronts hinge on capitalizing on last-minute purchases.
CEO of Spirit Halloween, Steven Silverstein, told The Wall Street Journal in response to the internet memes about his company, “We kind of enjoy the meme value of Spirit. We bring life, and we bring joy. We bring energy.”
In 2020, the company opened up all their planned 1,400 stores despite the ongoing pandemic, when most stores were cutting hours or closing locations.
Further difficulties emerged in 2021 when they encountered supply chain issues, meaning they did not get all their expected merchandise until near the end of the season. The company assured WSJ that they will be fully stocked for the 2022 season.
