Adaptive Reuse in Action

Every year, as the leaves start to change and spooky season approaches, Spirit Halloween rises triumphantly from the grave and transforms strip malls across the U.S. The store’s bright orange banner has become nearly synonymous with the Halloween season.

Although there have been some interesting trends in favor of brick-and-mortar stores within the past couple of years, many strip malls still contend with vacant storefronts. Spirit Halloween provides a temporary solution. The Halloween juggernaut utilizes empty strip mall spaces for a short, high-traffic season. Leasing out to Spirit Halloween offers a way to cover expenses and generate revenue, even if only for a few months. Spirit Halloween’s “pop-up” model is a win-win, filling vacant stores with life and attracting increased foot traffic to the area, which can benefit other businesses within the same strip mall.

However, Spirit Halloween is not a silver bullet solution to strip mall vacancy. The short-term nature of these leases may not contribute to long-term stability or revitalization of retail spaces. While Spirit Halloween fills a temporary need, it can highlight the underlying challenge strip malls face in finding lasting tenants to occupy their storefronts year-round.

As strip malls adapt to the shifting retail landscape, Spirit Halloween exemplifies how pop-up stores can offer creative solutions, if only for a season, to help bring struggling retail spaces back from the dead.

Hope everyone had a wicked Halloween!