Spirit Halloween

Spirit Halloween LLC is a seasonal retailer that supplies Halloween decorations, costumes, props and accessories. It was founded in 1983 and is based in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. In 1999, the store had 60 seasonal locations and was purchased by Spencer Gifts.[1][2] Today, The popup retailer has over a thousand locations across the United States & Canada.

Spirit Halloween LLC
TypeSubsidiary
Founded1983 (1983)
FounderJoseph Marver
HeadquartersEgg Harbor Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Number of locations
1,366
Area served
North America
Products
ParentSpencer Gifts
(1999–present)
Websitewww.spirithalloween.com

Business operations

During the Halloween season, Spirit has over 1,400 store locations in North America. The Spirit Halloween website is open year-round, offering its in-store products online. The store carries decor manufactured by Tekky Design, Gemmy, Yu Jun, Seasonal Visions, Crazy Create, NewRaySun, PartyTime Costume, Seasons USA, and Morbid Enterprises. Many decorations are exclusive to Spirit.

In late summer Spirit Halloween typically puts out teaser videos on social media and YouTube to create excitement for new items. A few days later the videos are followed by another one officially revealing and announcing the item.[3]

The retailer typically makes use of vacant retail space. The stores typically operate for 60 to 90 days, opening sometime in early to mid-August and usually closing two or three days after Halloween. It has seen increasing usage during the retail apocalypse of the 2010s.

Spirit Halloween's start

Joe Marver created the Spirit Halloween business model, a pop-up store catering to Halloween revelers.[4] Starting with his first pop-up location in the Castro Valley Mall in 1984,[5] he grew Spirit Halloween to 60 seasonal stores nationwide[6] before it was acquired in 1999. His approach to short-term leases, locations, and the stocking of widely varied merchandise was novel in the Halloween retail sector.

Today, the Spirit Halloween network of pop-up stores is bigger than any other specialty retailer in the category, with new ownership expanding Marver’s original concept to more than 1,100 locations across North America. Spirit Halloween serves a Halloween consumer market estimated at $8.4 billion dollars yearly, according to the National Retail Federation.[5] Spirit Halloween is known for its large selection of costumes and Halloween decorations. Since 2007 they made themed displays of the animatronics and props they made for the year. 2013 marked their 30th anniversary.

Spirit of Children

In 2006, Spirit launched a program called Spirit of Children to raise money in-store for children's hospitals. The program annually celebrates Halloween at hospital locations, supplying costumes and decorations for the events. Since 2007, Spirit of Children has raised over $29 million in donations.[7]

Health Canada Recall

On October 21, 2016, Health Canada recalled eight products from Spirit Halloween, for fire hazards and choking hazards.[8] According to the article from Health Canada, "On several occasions, Spirit Halloween has agreed to voluntarily stop sale or recall products that do not meet Canadian health and safety regulatory requirements. However, Health Canada recently visited 45 stores across Canada and found that 23 stores continued to sell products that Spirit Halloween had previously agreed to stop selling or recall."[9]

Items Recalled by Health Canada
Product Action Requested Hazard Observed
Spirit Halloween 100 Purple String Lights (SKU 01163427 ) Recall Fire hazard Shock hazard due to loose wiring
Spirit Halloween 100 Orange String Lights (SKU 01163435) Stop sale Fire hazard
Spirit Halloween Pumpkin Tiki Torch (SKU 01154160) Recall Missing hazard labelling and child resistant cap
Spirit Halloween Skull Tiki Torch (SKU 01154178 ) Recall Missing hazard labelling and child resistant cap
Spirit Halloween Feather Witch Hat (SKU 00643569) Recall Fire hazard
Spirit Feather White Angel Wings (SKU 01039627 ) Recall Fire hazard
Spirit Feather Black Angel Wings (SKU 01039619) Recall Fire hazard
Spirit Spider and Puppy Belly Baby Halloween costumes (SKUs 07126162, 07126170, 01301415, 01301423) Recall Choking hazard

See also

References
  1. Trevision, Catherine (October 22, 2000). "Temporary retailers fight over space as holidays approach". Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  2. "Company Information: About Spirit Halloween". Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  3. "Menacing Molly Swings By For Halloween 2017 | AnimatronicHalloween.com". Retrieved Sep 3, 2020.
  4. "Halloween Fun for Grown-Ups", CBS News, October 27, 2003.
  5. Clark, Patrick; Mosendz, Polly (2016-10-27). "How Halloween Stores Conquered America". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  6. "Halloween’s Big Business at Boo-tiques", Los Angeles Times, October 24, 2000.
  7. "The Heart of Spirit Halloween:About Spirit of Children". Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  8. Stranges, Casy (October 24, 2016). "Health Canada Issues Recall For Spirit Halloween Items". CBC.
  9. "Health Canada warns of some dangerous Halloween products sold by Spirit Halloween". healthycanadians.gc.ca. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
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