Wall Street Journal and Retail Archaeology examine Spirit Halloween, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse for Black Cat Day

Happy Black Cat Day, when I examined Spirit Halloween last year. I decided to make it a tradition, so I'm opening with the Wall Street Journal explaining How Spirit Halloween Became a Titan of the $10B Halloween Industry | WSJ The Economics Of.

Each fall, there’s one store that suddenly seems to be just about everywhere: Spirit Halloween. The brand taps into the $10 billion Halloween industry by setting up shop in otherwise vacant real estate for three months each year.

This video came out four years ago, but it's held up well except for being too early to include Party City closing in the United States, although it did show the handwriting on the wall with Halloween City opening fewer locations during the pandemic.

Erik of Retail Archaeology has a much more current report in Spooky Archaeology: A Retail Archaeology Halloween Special, uploaded two days ago.

In this special Halloween episode of Retail Archaeology we check out this years Spirit Halloween instore experience. We also check out Horror Monger, and awesome horror themed store that is open year round.

"In the corpse of a Big Lots" — that makes what I wrote when Big Lots filed for bankruptcy two years ago prophetic: "As for what will fill the spaces left by the closed stores, there's always Spirit Halloween." I don't know whether to brag or be creeped out. Maybe both.

Spirit Halloween itself provides today' drink recipe, Angry Orchard Halloween Punch - Spirit Halloween.

Follow this recipe for a deadly delightful Halloween Cocktail Punch!

Drink responsibly and stay tuned for more Halloween posts through the end of the month plus a bonus Day of the Dead entry. Trick or treat!