Spirit Halloween, best known for its ubiquitous spooky holiday stores, is bringing back its other brand, the one that’s more steeped in elves and reindeer than witches and ghosts.
After a trial run last year, Spirit Halloween plans to once again open Spirit Christmas pop-ups. But this go-around, it intends to have 30 of the seasonal retail locations “across the Northeast and Great Lakes regions, nearly quadrupling its footprint from last year,” the Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey-based company said.
Spirit Christmas stores are slated to open in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Seasonal pop-up shops such as Spirit Halloween and Spirit Christmas take short-term leases, about three months, on vacant retail space, allowing landlords to generate at least some revenue from those empty properties.
Coming off the success of its debut season, Spirit Christmas is expanding its offerings. Stores are to include an all-new Peppermint Village, an immersive in-store experience featuring holiday decor, unique gifts, apparel and interactive displays. Shoppers can also have their photo taken with Santa.
“At Spirit, we believe the magic of the season does not end with Halloween — it transforms,” Steven Silverstein, Spirit Christmas CEO, said in a statement. “Back by popular demand and with even more locations, Spirit Christmas is an extension of our sensory-rich, interactive holiday experiences. From our one-of-a-kind Santa photo experience to an exclusive collection of festive merchandise.”
Spirit Halloween, part of Spencer Gifts, is planning roughly 1,500 of its namesake locations this year, on par with years past.
Those seasonal stores have become part of popular culture and been parodied on “Saturday Night Live” and in the recent “Naked Gun” movie starring Liam Neeson.
Earlier this year, plagued by supply chain problems, Spirit Halloween canceled the annual event it usually holds at its flagship store in Egg Harbor Township to kick off the spooky season. Thousands of people, from across the country and around the world, typically attend to get a first look at the latest costumes, home decor and animatronics that Spirit Halloween will be selling.
Spirit Christmas is partnering with Cherry Hill Programs, a specialist in holiday photography. Families can take part in interactive photo sessions, share their holiday wishes directly with Santa and leave with professional photos for their annual Christmas cards.