Boo business big business
Kirk Penton - Sep 20, 2019 - Biz Releases

Halloween shopping season has arrived.

It’s big business these days, which is why Halloween Alley is operating out of the former Home Outfitters building on Banks Road. It opens its doors on Saturday morning at 10 o’clock, and it promises to be another prosperous season of ghost and goblin buying.

“It’s our largest location that we’ve had since we’ve been in Kelowna,” Halloween Alley district co-ordinator Deb Lawless said Friday as she and her crew put the finishing touches on all the displays. “We are at about 10,000 square feet and fully packed this year, which is really exciting for us.

“Although we don’t use the whole space, we absolutely take advantage of every space so that customers get the best experience they can have during the Halloween season.”

Aside from costumes, bloody limbs and clothing, the Canadian-owned Halloween Alley features plenty of displays and animatronics to make it more than just shopping for that big party or night of trick-or-treating.

“We want kids to come in. We want them to love it,” Lawless said. “We want them to come more than once. Year after year it’s such an awesome feeling when you hear the kids say, ‘I have to come back to the Halloween store again.’ We have customers who have been banging on the door all week long. The kids are just waiting to come in.”

As for this year’s costume trends, Halloween Alley believes more families—dogs and cats included—will be getting into the spooky spirit than ever before.

“This year there’s a big surge on family costumes, really focusing in on costumes for the littlest ones all the way up to adults and pet costumes,” Lawless said. “Being able to create a whole family costume is going to be huge this year. Harry Potter, we’ve gotten all ages in again.

“Huge this year is Disney and Pixar with Toy Story 4 having come out. There’s a few surprises that are coming our way, which we will announce soon.”

And you can never forget about the superheroes.

“I know I say this year after year that superhero costumes are such a big hit,” Laweless said. “They never let us down.”

Halloween Alley will be open seven days a week. Its hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Being in a stand-alone building will allow them to extend their hours this year as well.

Lawless figures she will employ between 18 and 20 people during their six-week run.

Halloween Alley is also giving back to the community. It is asking customers to bring in gently used kids’ costumes that it will donate to the Kelowna Women’s Shelter, all in an effort to make sure every child has a costume on Oct. 31.


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