Happy Halloween for sales?

Businesses look forward to robust holiday business

Friday, Oct. 9, 2009

Halloween might not be too scary this year, at least not for retailers.

Though Halloween was weeks away, the Spirit Halloween Superstore in Waldorf attracted a steady stream of customers Monday seeking costumes for a party or the perfect severed hand to complete their holiday decor.

The children's section in the store in the Festival Way Shopping Center included perennial favorite costumes like princesses and pirates but also boasted the banana, the name tag and the "whoopie cushion."

A couple from Waldorf was looking through the "couples costume" display in the adult section, seeking a pair that didn't give the, well, wrong impression. They were considering dressing as Popeye and Olive Oyl, "really because it's the only thing we can find that is not extremely revealing. The girl costumes are extremely provocative," said Melanie Richards. "We thought of going as leprechauns but the leprechaun costume for him looks like a Chippendale's dancer."

"Yeah, she doesn't want the ladies to get the wrong idea and start throwing dollar bills" when they go to the Halloween party at Vera's Beach Club in White Sands, said Brian Arry, Richards' boyfriend.

June Anderson came from Washington, D.C., to go to Home Depot but figured he might as well visit a Halloween store while he was there. Having ignored the holiday for years, Anderson was shopping for a costume under duress — his girlfriend is throwing a party and said he has to dress up.

"I don't want to pay a lot of money" he said as he considered a black polyester cloak. He rejected a plastic scythe as an unnecessary expense, saying he would find a stick and "I can just put a ball on it that lights up."

But browsing the racks got Anderson into the holiday spirit as he found some props he liked.

"I ain't never seen a place like this. I wasn't going to get nothing but this is nice. This is something else," he said.

Not everyone there had the holiday in mind. Three girls from a local Christian academy came seeking makeup for their school's "spirit week." Tagging along with them was recent alumna Danielle Murray of Waldorf, who rejects Halloween because of its pagan origins.

"Honestly, no," she said when asked if she felt comfortable in the store. But her friend Kiera Cecil of Waldorf wasn't worried, though she wasn't planning on a spooky costume.

"I want to be a fairy, and I don't even need a wig," she said, pointing at her long hair.

Assistant Manager Kevin Mash said the Oct. 5 attendance was typical, and interest is, if anything, up from 2008 and 2005, the other seasons that he has worked locations belonging to Spirit Halloween, a sister company of gift store Spencer's. The Waldorf store is doing well for the region, partly because there is no store in La Plata this year, he said.

Things are "pretty good, actually. Recessions increase business, surprisingly. I guess people are going through hard times [and] they need a reason to play," Mash said.

Southern Maryland's other Spirit Halloween store, in Solomons, is also thriving, according to Manager Jack Nicholson.

"Our location is doing really well," Nicholson said. "I don't have anything to base it on [compared to] previous years but given the sales goals, we're doing a lot better than anybody anticipated," something possibly helped by there not being a store in St. Mary's County this year.

Popular items this year are Hannah Montana and "anything Disney" costumes for girls and cops and superheroes for boys, he said.

Catching the spirit

The Halloween spirit remains strong at Apehangers, which pulls out all the stops every year. The holiday party is one of the Bel Alton bar's three biggest events of the year, said manager Laci Herbert.

"I can't really tell you why it's become such a big event. Maybe it's because people get pretty elaborate with their costumes, but for a biker bar to have a Halloween party is pretty unusual," Herbert said. Business in general has picked up, too, she said, with customers absent over the summer showing their faces again.

David McKay, CEO of the McKay's chain of grocery stores, said Halloween sales aren't just holding steady but apparently are increasing. Pumpkin sales have grown steadily for years, while candy faltered but appears to be reviving.

"I just think more and more people are … participating in Halloween. I don't know why — I would imagine just to get into the spirit.

Halloween sales at the Giant in California are slow because the store is being renovated so displays aren't up yet, according to Debra Adams, general merchandise manager. But there's still room to make up for lost time.

"Oh yeah, once I have it set [up], it'll go," she said of displays including candy and novelty toys.

Educate and Celebrate, with stores in Prince Frederick and Waldorf, doesn't emphasize Halloween in its displays but themed items like pencils and stickers are going fast, according to owner Laurie Uherek.

And times are generally good, she added: "The Halloween season and fall season always seems to get people in the mood to shop. I love to see what's for sale in fall — it's just neat."

Seasonal attractions

But farms with seasonal attractions are seeing a drop in demand this year, especially from school groups, farmers say.

Serenity Farm in Benedict depends on public events to make ends meet, so the thinner crowds at its weekend "Kasper's Kastle" attraction for young children is a strain, co-owner Theresa Robinson said.

"I mean, our numbers were running right around 8,500 people [per year], but 7,500 last year and this weekend was a wash," Robinson said.

Pure farming is no longer enough to keep Serenity open.

"Anything that we do with the public is very much so [important]," she said. "Farming is, it's OK, but it doesn't keep us afloat. If we were just farming we would have sold out a long time ago. … I think it is for a lot of farmers in the area, they look for the public to help support them."

Schools just aren't authorizing the traditional fall field trips as they seek to economize, according to Kelly Bryant, manager of Middleton's Cedar Hill Farm in Waldorf. But the general tight-fistedness can also help as families seek economical ways to have fun like picnicking and picking their own vegetables.

"I would say people are coming out to the farm a little more because maybe they aren't able to go to big-time events with their family like Kings Dominion Fear Fest. They're coming out to the farm — there's no charge for the farm and they come out get to spend time with family," she said.

The farm charges for hayrides and other events but not for access.

Zekiah Farms in Waldorf does fall-themed events, not Halloween, but the holiday seems to drive demand. The "fall fest" takes place every weekend this month and includes a corn maze, face painting, tractor rides and a pumpkin patch.

"When Halloween goes away, so do they," said farm co-owner Cindy Thorne.

emitrano@somdnews.com