Halloween Stores

SamSpade
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Re: Halloween Stores

Post by SamSpade »

It appears some communities are still hurting for available retail space. Eastern Idaho's largest economic engine is Idaho Falls.

It would seem like they could have taken over the former Petco near Grand Teton Mall, though.

https://www.eastidahonews.com/2022/08/s ... pocatello/
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Re: Halloween Stores

Post by mbz321 »

Alpha8472 wrote: August 5th, 2022, 11:01 am Spirit Halloween used to be based in Hayward, California near San Francisco in the 90s. However, the company was taken over by an East Coast company. This year they have drastically reduced the number of stores. Last year they had multiple stores in the same neighborhoods.

I was at a Spirit Halloween last year in Hayward, California and there was a security guard as the store was being robbed by teenagers and young adults who just wanted free Halloween stuff. There are a lot of grab and run looters type of people in the area.
Spirit is owned by Spencer's, no? And I'm surprised with how cheaply their stores are run and thrown together that they bothered to have a security guard!
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Re: Halloween Stores

Post by Alpha8472 »

They seem to be adding a few more stores in the San Francisco Bay Area. They seem to add some at the last minute. The stores usually only take up part of the store space. They put up partitions and the rest of the abandoned store is still dirty and falling apart. Some do not even have air conditioning. You could be in 90 degree heat. Some stores brought in portable air conditioners. It looked really terrible such as when they take over a Kmart and it is stuffy inside.
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Re: Halloween Stores

Post by Brian Lutz »



In a rather odd bit of self-promotion, it appears that Sprit Halloween is releasing Spirit Halloween: The Movie, a PG-13 rated supernatural horror film set in one of their stores. Following a limited theatrical release it will be released to VOD platforms on October 11th.

At this rate, by this time next year some of the theaters showing this film might end up as Spirit Halloween stores...
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Re: Halloween Stores

Post by norcalriteaidclerk »

Brian Lutz wrote:

In a rather odd bit of self-promotion, it appears that Sprit Halloween is releasing Spirit Halloween: The Movie, a PG-13 rated supernatural horror film set in one of their stores. Following a limited theatrical release it will be released to VOD platforms on October 11th.

At this rate, by this time next year some of the theaters showing this film might end up as Spirit Halloween stores...
Not to mention that two closed local RAD locations still open at this time last Halloween (Sacramento camellia center, Roseville pleasant Grove)are already serving as Spirit Halloween pop-ups.Then again I can think of worse(8368 elk Grove florin,a 2000-ish RA-1 that despite being remodeled into the Wellness 2.0 decor was closed in February 2019,is now a *cough* Dollar tree *cough*).

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For your life,Thrifty and Payless have got it.
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Re: Halloween Stores

Post by storewanderer »

norcalriteaidclerk wrote: September 28th, 2022, 7:21 pm Not to mention that two closed local RAD locations still open at this time last Halloween (Sacramento camellia center, Roseville pleasant Grove)are already serving as Spirit Halloween pop-ups.Then again I can think of worse(8368 elk Grove florin,a 2000-ish RA-1 that despite being remodeled into the Wellness 2.0 decor was closed in February 2019,is now a *cough* Dollar tree *cough*).

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I went into a Dollar Tree in Monument, CO that is an old RA1. Exterior looked like it may have elements of Rite Aid inside. Nope. Totally gutted/renovated even the ceiling tiles. Neatest and most well stocked Dollar Tree I've ever seen. Every employee was wearing a green Dollar Tree polo shirt. I was in line with 3 customers and they paged for a second cashier. They had "sale" tags on various refrigerated/frozen food items that were near expiration, 2 for 1.25. Felt like I was at a different chain, than the Dollar Tree I know out west. Saw another Dollar Tree in Colorado Springs in an old RA1. Appears Dollar Tree gutted Elk Grove-Florin RA1 too. Possible Rite Aid interiors were just too nice for Dollar Tree and they had to destroy them.

Odd as up in Boise there is a Dollar Tree in an old Walgreens and they hardly did anything to the interior... but Walgreens are so plain and boring maybe that is why.
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Re: Halloween Stores

Post by buckguy »

mbz321 wrote: August 14th, 2022, 6:34 am
Spirit is owned by Spencer's, no? And I'm surprised with how cheaply their stores are run and thrown together that they bothered to have a security guard!
Spencer bought them a long time ago (1999) and then Spencer itself has been bought and sold a few times, but the last change in management appears to have been in 2015, when the equity owner sold it to management. Spirit sounds like a well oiled machine--knowing how to buy closeouts/overstocks and cherry picking real estate that is likely to be vacant several months after they rent it, but with "bump out clauses" in the lease if the space finds a tenant. They're probably a good indicator of truly distressed retail real estate. They attract people who love Halloween to staff the stores which makes it easier to find short-term employees.

Spencer, itself, is pretty remarkable---despite being bought and sold several times, it's basically been the same business for decades and often the only legacy store in older malls as well as one of the few "mall store" chains that isn't apparel based.

https://www.businessinsider.com/the-ris ... ry-2021-10

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Gifts

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Re: Halloween Stores

Post by Alpha8472 »

I visited a Spirit Halloween in Dublin, California recently. This former Grocery Outlet has been abandoned for years and no one wants to lease it except for Spirit. Spirit probably got a very good deal.

The store had a very good selection of items. The Halloween departments at other stores are terrible. There is very little selection even at Walmart.

Spirit really knows how to find all the good items and the prices are not much more than in past years. The employees at Spirit seem to love Halloween and are always very helpful.

Business is booming for Halloween sales. In times if distress, people love to spend on escapist luxuries. There were lots of kids having fun in the fun house atmosphere of the store. Spirit always has a different walk through attraction every year. This year is some kind of electricity theme.
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