PARAMUS, N.J. — Like something out of a horror tale, abandoned stores come back to life this time of year — as a Halloween retailer.
Spirit Halloween, a chain of more than 1,150 pop-up shops across the country, reincarnates in empty storefronts and fills them with 4,000 costumes and accessories with themes ranging from zombies to superheroes and princesses to prison inmates. There are also gory displays: a zombie-filled subway, a swamp surrounded by bloody and screaming animated creatures.
Spirit Halloween crams a lot of business into a short time. Its staff swells from the hundreds to more than 20,000 starting in June. It makes its revenue for the year in less than three months.
At a store in an old Staples in Paramus, N.J., it took six days to set up. Spirit opened there Aug. 21 and closes Nov. 1.
“We are equivalent to an army operation in terms of the way we mobilize and move products,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of the Egg Harbor Township, N.J.-based company.
Around the Denver area and in Boulder, 13 locations have opened for business through Halloween.
Pop-up stores have been around for decades, but the trend got a big boost when retailers got the idea of short-term rentals for holidays like Halloween and Christmas.
Spirit Halloween was launched in 1983, as the holiday’s focus was evolving from children and trick-or-treating to parties for people of all ages, Silverstein said.
Planning for this Halloween began over a year ago. For example, it takes 18 months to design and produce displays like the subway and swamp, which are set up in all the Spirit Halloween stores.
Employees scout for locations throughout the year. Some are vacant stores in shopping malls, while others occupy stores shuttered by big chains. High visibility is key.
Merchandise starts rolling into Spirit Halloween’s warehouses in May. By the summer, sites have been chosen, and by mid-August, the stores are prepped to receive the goods.
Trucks start arriving, and the locations go from bare walls and floors to racks and shelves bursting with costumes, accessories, props and home decor.
Adults’ interest in continuing or reviving the Halloween fun of their youth has turned the holiday into a huge money maker. Estimates of what consumers spend on Halloween vary widely, running as high as $11.4 billion on costumes, decorations and candy in 2014, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.
Spirit Halloween, which is privately owned, does not announce its sales figures.
“It has become the national party that everyone participates in,” Silverstein said.
