Halloween Retail

Here's an assessment of local retail stores' Halloween displays:

Giant Eagle (grocery store)- This year's display is more sparse compared to last year. It's mainly a bunch of candy, a few decorations, and a few seasonal ales. Disappointing.

Meijer- A pretty good collection of costumes, candy, and decorations. Fun to peruse.

Home Goods- Very disappointing this year. Only a small collection of stuff and situated at the back of the store.

Michaels- Excellent collection this year. Lots of costumes, decorations, and crafts. My favorite holiday store.

Party City- A surprising amount of Halloween stuff out already, with more to come. Not my style, as much of it is gory and macabre, but a lot of Halloween to look at.

JoAnn's- A slightly below average showing, with much more generic Fall/Autumn & Thanksgiving stuff out this year.

Lowe's & Home Depot- Each year, these stores feature less and less Halloween. At Lowe's, there was already more Christmas stuff out compared to Halloween.

Tuesday Morning- Very disappointing. Hardly anything this year.

Final Tally:  6 Below Average showings, 3 Above Average Showings

Halloween is the second biggest retail holiday in America. And while the stock market is at a record high, I've read several articles lately pointing to the fact that while the top 1-5% of America is enjoying significant financial gains, the other 95-99% of America continues to reside in recession territory. Could this be why this year's Halloween showing is a bit weak?

Jo Ann's

Mother in Law Holidays, Baby Holidays, and I took a trip out to the local Jo Ann's, and Mother in Law Holidays graciously bought some more stuff for Spirit Grove II.  Here are a couple pics:

Fabric for the Enchantress, Black spray paint, Silver glitter spray, and a black, washable marker

A closer look at the Enchantress's outer garment. I've put Mother in Law Holidays in charge of her evening attire.

Jo-Ann's & Party City

Baby Holidays and I dropped by these two stores today. Jo-Ann's had a little bit of Halloween stuff out, while Party City was preparing shelves for its initial shipment. Might drop by Home Goods again tomorrow to see if their main display is up yet.