Christmas in October? Well, ready or not, here it comes.
Every year, Spirit Halloween transforms hundreds of empty storefronts to sell spooky costumes, decor, and candy at 1,500 locations across the country. But this fall, it will also open 10 new Christmas pop-ups.
The retail chain, owned by Spencer Gifts, opened its first store in the San Francisco Bay area in 1983, and has been able to corner a small slice of the lucrative holiday shopping market with haunting but family friendly in-store experiences for Halloween.
This year, nearly a dozen Spirit Christmas stores will open in the Northeast, from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania, starting with a flagship store in Mays Landing, New Jersey on October 18. The rest are slated for early November, and will remain open through the holidays.
“Spirit Christmas is a new concept for us, and we’re hopeful it will resonate with our customers,” Spirit said in a statement to Fast Company. “Our goal is to create a festive retail experience that captures the spirit of the season, much like we do for Halloween.”
Each store will have a unique assortment of holiday décor, apparel, inflatables, gifts, and stocking stuffers. You will be able to wander through a life-sized gingerbread village, where you can mail your letter to Santa at the North Pole or meet him in person. (Yes, “Santa” will be making an appearance to take photos and greet kids, while customers will receive a free “digital postcard” for family albums.)
Here’s the full list of the 10 pop-up store locations set to open:
- Marlton, NJ – Willow Ridge
- Brick, NJ – Market Place at Brick
- Mays Landing, NJ – Consumer Square
- Woodbridge, NJ – The Plaza at Woodbridge
- Albany, NY – Colonie Center
- Bohemia, NY – Sayville Plaza
- Poughkeepsie, NY – Chestnut Plaza
- Erie, PA – Mill Creek Mall
- Waterford, CT – Crystal Mall
- Dartmouth, MA – Faunce Corner Shopping Center
