Is Spirit Halloween the ghost of retail past?

Photo: Brianna Crane/Axios

It’s fall, y’all. Which means pumpkin spice lattes and Spirit Halloween stores popping up in once-vacant retail spaces all over the country.

Spirit Halloween will operate 1,425 stores across the country this year and employ 35,000 people for the season. That’s 3% more stores in 2021 than in 2020, according to data shared with Axios Charlotte.

• The Charlotte area will have 10 of those stores.

Why it matters: Major retailers that once thrived with the brick-and-mortar model have long been struggling to survive. Sears, Belk, J.Crew, JC Penney and Neiman Marcus have all filed for bankruptcy, and around 25% of America’s malls are expected to shutter in the next five years.

• But a seasonal store that sells haunted house animatronics and vampire fangs, among other Halloween goods and costumes, has held strong for 38 years — and it’s still growing.

Driving the news: When the original Barneys in New York was converted to a Spirit Halloween in August, it was a particularly spooky reminder that retail is shifting.

• I was curious: How does a seasonal business manage to take over some of the most notable retail spots in the country, when the big guys can’t afford to stay there?
• There are memes all over the internet about Spirit Halloween taking over dead space, from the Epicentre in Charlotte to the White House.

You know what means right?! https://t.co/wlZuGYW5Td pic.twitter.com/XiBh7h3RjJ

— Lucia 🎃Halloween🎃 ForEverblack (@LuciaEverblack) September 28, 2021

Turns out, a business centered on a heavily commercialized holiday is a pretty good one.

• Spirit Halloween is the world’s largest specialty Halloween retailer, according to Marisa Uzzolino, Spirit Halloween’s associate manager of media and photography.
• And every year, Halloween enthusiasts spend $9B on spooky season, Uzzolino said. Home Depot already sold out of its early release Halloween decor last month.

“Halloween is the one day each year where people of all ages can be whoever or whatever they want,” Uzzolino said.

• From trick-or-treating to costume parties for adults, Halloween has something for everyone. And Spirit Halloween’s selection is curated to appeal to those enthusiasts. 

BREAKING:
Crisis averted! Epicentre is now fully leased and will now feature 50 new Spirit Halloween stores.

Ironically, I think we can all agree Epicentre was already scary enough as is. pic.twitter.com/3XMqEQ1NSY

— CLT Updates (@clt_updates) August 26, 2021

State of play locally: Here in Charlotte there’s a Spirit Halloween store in nearly all of area’s malls, except SouthPark Mall. There’s a Spirit Halloween at Metropolitan; in the former Dick’s Sporting Goods at Northlake Mall; former Sears at Carolina Place; and former Bed Bath & Beyond at Concord Mills.

• Northwood Office, which manages Metropolitan declined to comment; Northlake Mall and Carolina Place didn’t respond by deadline.

Spirit Halloween declined to comment on how their seasonal business scores these giant vacant retail spots. However, they do target 5,000- to 50,000-square-foot spaces in high-traffic areas with “awesome visibility” and surrounding national retail, according to their website.

• They have a real estate team that works year-round to scout the best vacancies.

Other Halloween shops: If you want to get your Halloween costume from a local shop, you can try Morris Costumes (4300 Monroe Rd.) which has been around since the 1960s.

• Or if you prefer to pull together your own costume, try a vintage shop like Kitsch-y-Cool Vintage at Sleepy Poet; The Rat’s Nest in NoDa; or Stash Pad in Plaza.

Bottom line: Spirit Halloween is growing its presence at a time when many brick-and-mortar stores are struggling to survive.