Halloween: Not just for kids anymore – revelers will spend $8.4 billion for a scary good time this year

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In honor of Halloween, I decided to write about an industry that has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past decade or so. Having two kids – with one who’s birthday is mid-October – makes us very aware of the cost associated with the celebration of the season. (That and the fact that we are festive people). Growing up, Halloween was pretty simple – we went to the store and bought our “costume in a box,” bought candy, and of course our trick-or-treat bags, (or just used pillowcases).

forward focus logoI would usually get two or three wears out of my costume between the school party, trick or treating in my cousin’s neighborhood, and of course the annual candy grab in mine. It also seemed that the “more advanced” costumes and decorations were only available to businesses. Now there are countless costumes and decorations available to the general public, which allows us to dress or decorate in ways that we once thought was reserved for people “in the biz.”

Consumers spent over $6.9 billion on Halloween last year (yes…with a ‘B’), and this year’s spending is expected to go over $8.48 billion. In perspective, consumers spent upwards of $626.1 billion during the holiday season last year. Although Halloween 2015 spending was only a bit over 10 percent of what is spent during the holiday season, it’s still a lot of money.

Pop-up holiday retailing has become quite popular.
Pop-up holiday retailing has become quite popular.

The growing Halloween market has created many opportunities for entrepreneurs in areas such as retailing and attractions. The first of these is a retailer that operates over 1,100 “pop-up” stores throughout the United States and Canada during the Halloween season, (usually early September through mid-November). I am talking about Spirit Halloween Superstores, which started in 1983 and was bought by Spencer’s in 1999. In addition to the brick and mortar locations, (which comprise of both corporate-owned and consignment), Spirit Halloween also sells product on their website all year long. Spirit Halloween, which is the oldest and largest of the pop-up, (aka temporary), retailers, offers a pretty straight-forward consignment deal for its operators. Basically, the pop-up venture is a turnkey-type of operation where retail entrepreneurs pay a $25,000 deposit in exchange for inventory to stock their entire store. The operator uses the Spirit Halloween POS and credit processing systems, which allows the company to keep a percentage of the revenue with the remainder going to the retailer. In addition, any inventory remaining at the end of the season, as long as the product is still packaged and in good condition, can be returned to the company for merchandise credit.

One of the advantages of working with pop-up retailers such as Spirit Halloween is that consignees benefit from the broad range of costumes the company develops. Among one of the many things the company does to ensure uniqueness is work with licensed partners to develop exclusive costumes and accessories that one can’t find anywhere else. Another key advantage is the ability of pop-up retailers to secure temporary leases in unused retail space in prime locations, which helps them compete against big-box retailers. In addition to Spirit Halloween, there are some lesser-known, smaller pop-up retailers such as Halloween Adventure, which operates about 50 stores in the northeastern United States. With the closure of many locations of once-great retailers such as GAP, Barnes & Noble, GameStop, Blockbuster, and Fashion Bug, more vacant space in prime locations has become available for pop-up stores, which will increase their Halloween market-share.

Haunted attractions are all the rage these days.
Haunted attractions are all the rage these days.

In addition to retail, there are many attractions throughout the country. Many communities have the haunted houses, hay rides, and corn mazes, but there are also many larger attractions throughout the season, (with some open year-round). Some of these treats include SpookyWorld, a “horror scream park” located in Litchfield. SpookyWorld is home to five major attractions, (haunted hayride, Brigham Manor, 3D Festival of Fear, The Colony – A New Breed, and Carnage), as well as several events throughout the season, which typically runs late September through early November. SpookyWorld started in the town of Berlin, Massachusetts back in 1991 and after being located at several sites over the years joined forces with Nightmare New England and settled at its permanent location of Litchfield in 2009.

Halloween: A time to be whoever you want to be.
Halloween: Not just for kids anymore. It’s a time to be whoever you want to be.

While not a Halloween-only attraction, Room Escape Adventures, with locations in Boston, New York, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, and Los Angeles, provides year-round scenarios where participants have 60 minutes to escape a room with a hungry zombie chained to the wall. Every 5 minutes the chain is released another foot from the wall and the participants must gather clues and solve a puzzle if they are to avoid being “eaten” by the undead. Zombies and escape…not just for Halloween anymore.

Some additional popular Halloween attractions in New England include the Roger Williams Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, (Providence, RI), the Lake Compounce Haunted Graveyard, (Bristol, CT), Fright Fest at Six Flags New England, (Agawam, MA), ScrEEEmfest at Canobie Lake Park, (Salem, NH), and the Haunted Boston Ghost Tours.

Halloween has become an event-filled season when people can dress in their favorite costumes and enjoy the last weeks of fun outdoor activities. The season has changed and grown over the years and is no longer just for kids. Happy Halloween!


ChicoineBorn in Nashua, Brian Chicoine spent his early years in Raymond before moving to Manchester at the age of 9. A few years after graduating from West High School, Brian moved to Providence to complete his undergraduate degree at Rhode Island College. After college Brian got married then he and his new wife Jackie spent a little more than five years in New Hampshire, where their two boys were born. The Chicoine family then returned to Jackie’s home state of Rhode Island and have been living there since. Brian has merged his passion for entrepreneurship and innovation with his love of new and bold ideas to bring fresh perspectives on the way things are done. Brian, Jackie, and their two boys currently live in Rhode Island, but their hearts are in New Hampshire.


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About this Author

Brian Chicoine

Brian Chicoine is a New Hampshire native who moved to Manchester from Raymond in 1980. While a student at Notre Dame College here in Manchester, Brian transferred to Rhode Island College in Providence, where he met his now wife, Jackie. Brian and Jackie spent the next 20 years living in Providence and Manchester, returning to Manchester with their two sons, (who are proud Manchester natives), in the fall of 2017. He and his family intend on staying in Manchester and are committed to helping make it an even better place to live, work, and play.