They host rows full of tricks and treats, but only for a limited time.
Halloween pop-up stores have grown in popularity, seizing the opportunity for a short term lease in cities across the country.
It’s a niche market, catering to the seasonal needs of Halloween fanatics young and old.
Everybody loves Halloween and everybody’s happy about Halloween” said Lethbridge Spirit of Halloween store owner Jeannie Kuno. “You get to dress up, you get to decorate, you’re having a party or going to a party, or your get to trick or treat.”
“Halloween is a fun time,” added Lethbridge’s Halloween Alley owner, Terry Millwater. “You get to dress up however you want with no judgement.”
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But it’s not only consumers who benefit from buying in store, rather than online. Pop-up’s also give a boost to local economies.
“It’s good for retailers that own space that they aren’t using, it brings them some revenue. It gives people an opportunity to be entrepreneurs and bring some entrepreneurship into the city,” said Chamber of Commerce General Manager Stephanie Jaffray. “Also it drives traffic to areas that might need some traffic.”
The stores appear almost overnight in September and employees have mere weeks to prepare before the doors open to the masses.
“We have several repeat employees so there’s not a lot of ‘crash course and go’,” said Kuno.
Despite an exceptionally quick turnaround store management says the profits are worth the hard work.
“If it wasn’t profitable I wouldn’t be here,” said Millwater. “Let’s put it that way.”
So long as costume lovers are around pop-up’s say they will be too.
Both stores say tear down is the hardest, shutting their doors with the last signs of trick or treaters, gone just as soon as they arrived.
Spirit of Halloween and Halloween Alley close for the season the first week in November.
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