Spirit Halloween haunts Cleveland's retail graveyard
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Spirit Halloween is haunting the shells of former big-box stores again this fall as it opens 1,500 locations nationwide, including around 20 in Northeast Ohio.
The big picture: The stores appear and vanish each fall, so finding this year's Spirit often means relaying directions with neighbors in retail shorthand: "Where the old Party City used to be."
By the numbers: Of the locations analyzed by Axios, 153 — just over 1 in 10 — were labeled "Former Joann" stores in Spirit's locator.
- Joann closed all of its fabric and craft stores in 2025.
- Former Big Lots stores ranked second with 103 locations, followed by Party City with 100. Both chains shed hundreds of locations after bankruptcy.
Zoom in: Spirit stores in Northeast Ohio have previously been everything from a Joann on Canton Road in Akron and a Party City in Fairlawn, to an Old Navy in Steelyard Commons and a Forever 21 at SouthPark Mall.
- Some residents have joked the recently closed downtown Heinen's could be converted into a Spirit store.
Zoom out: Spirit, which bills itself as North America's largest Halloween retailer, relies on temporary leases to transform vacant storefronts into seasonal shops.
- The arrangements bring property owners exposure and a few months of rent while they search for long-term tenants.
- Spirit Halloween hasn't responded to a request for comment.
The bottom line: A familiar storefront in a new orange costume is a telltale sign spooky season has arrived.