Spooky season has arrived, which means Spirit Halloween stores have popped up in several shopping complexes throughout Middle Tennessee.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Spooky season has arrived, which means Spirit Halloween stores have popped up in several shopping complexes throughout Middle Tennessee.
Spirit Halloween is a season retailer that sells everything for the perfect Halloween celebration, including a variety of decorations, costumes and animatronics.
The retailer recently made headlines after being the subject of a sketch on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, where the company was mocked for seeking “dead end towns” and leaving as soon as Halloween is over.
Despite the sketch, the company said they are the largest one-stop destination for all things Halloween in North America, with over 1,500 pop-up stores across the United States and Canada.
According to the store’s website, locations usually open in vacant buildings around Sept. 1 and remain open through mid-November.
However, any empty building won’t do. In fact, Spirit Halloween said before a store is made “So Much Fun, It’s Scary,” it must meet a certain criteria.
“We like to locate our stores in power centers, strip centers, free-standing stores, major downtown retail locations and in major malls surrounded by a national retailer mix. Our aim is to set up in communities that have 1) a population approximately 35,000+, 2) living within a 3-5 mile radius, and 3) with a car count of at least 25,000 cars per day,” wrote the company on their website.
According to the company, there are currently six Spirit Halloween locations in Middle Tennessee. However, before becoming a retail location for all things spooky, here’s what the buildings used be.
West Nashville
Nashville’s Spirit Halloween is located at 92 White Bridge Road in West Nashville. The building sits between a Target and Trader Joe’s. It used to be a Stein Mart, which is a retail store that sold clothing and accessories. According to a previous report, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020.
Rivergate
The Spirit Halloween in the Rivergate area, located at 1643 Gallatin Pike North, used to be the Sam Ash Music Store. The music store’s Madison location closed in May, according to a post made on the store’s Facebook page.
Hermitage
Located in the Oakwood Commons, the Spirit Halloween at 4724 Lebanon Pike was formerly a Goody’s. In 2020, the department-store chain announced all of their locations had closed, thanking customers and employees “for all of the wonderful years.”
Murfreesboro
A Spirit Halloween location in Murfreesboro, inside the Stones River Mall at 1720 Old Fort Parkway, used to be a Charlotte Russe. The fast-fashion retailer closed its doors for good in 2019 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Franklin
Spirit Halloween’s Franklin store, located at 1010 Murfreesboro Road, used to be a Tuesday Morning. According to the Associated Press, the discount goods retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020, marking the fifth major retailer to do so since the pandemic.
Clarksville
Situated in the strip of Governor’s Square Mall at 2801 Wilma Rudolph Boulevard is Clarksville’s Spirit Halloween location. The spooky store has set up in the former Sears parking lot. Sears once dominated the American retail landscape, but filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 2018 due to “massive debt load and staggering losses,” said the Associated Press.