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Halloween sales up despite bad economy
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Toby Tomamichel, left, and Shay Tomamichel, 14, shop for masks at the Spirit Halloween store in Chandler. Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009.
Thomas Boggan, Tribune
Halloween and costume stores say business is up despite the downturn in the economy.
About 20 Spirit shops have sprung up in previously uninhabited stores across the Valley. Most businesses have been open since the middle of September and will be leaving a few days after Halloween.
"People love Halloween; everyone loves Halloween," said Brian Barroll, assistant manager of Spirit at Tempe Marketplace. "It's a big thing here."
Barroll is a returning employee to a returning location.
"We've actually been really, really busy. I think people are just in the mood to have fun," Barroll said.
Spirit relies on seasonal patrons and hopes that they will return to the same area every October.
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"Consistent locations have higher business because they have a customer base that knows they're there," said Michelle Brown, manager of a Spirit Halloween store on Elliot and Alma School roads in Chandler. "The ones that aren't in those areas have a little bit of a tougher time."
Then why not sell costumes and party supplies year-round?
"We would be making nowhere near as much money," said Barroll.
"I don't think we would be able to sell enough," said Brown.
Bubbles of Joy on Longmore Road and Southern Avenue in Mesa recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. It is one of fewer than 10 year-round costume stores in the Valley.
"Even with all the temporary stores around us, we had our second-best Halloween last year," said owner Howard Faber. "We figure people were depressed because of the economy last year, but for a couple of bucks they can change their outlook by getting a mask or makeup or whatever it might be or a costume."
Faber and his wife, Mary, expanded their store this year to twice its size by connecting the two suites they own, one for costumes and one for party goods, even when business was at a low point.
The Fabers said business was "really bad" before September.
But now, Howard Faber said, "I see an improvement, better than what we've seen in past years. Service, quality - you've got those two, you're doing OK."
At the Spirit store in Chandler, Brown said it's normal for Halloween business to start out slow and pick up closer to the holiday.
"It's standard. It's normal," she said. "That's business."
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