Oct 13, 2008

Halloween continues to scare up business for local storesBy Will BussBND.com

Fairview Heights, IL — This Halloween will be more competitive than usual for Denny Tribout.

For four years, the third-generation owner of the Belleville carnival and party supply store that bears his name has also been selling costumes, decorations and other merchandise during the weeks leading up to All Hallow’s Eve. For the past three years, his Halloween Annex and competitor Spirit Halloween have operated within feet of each other on Commerce Drive in Fairview Heights.

“They are right next door,” Tribout said. “It works. It’s good, I think. At first, we were a little nervous, but it’s a lot like car dealerships.”

Halloween has become big business, despite the limited window for selling merchandise. Unlike the locally owned Tribout’s Halloween Annex, Spirit Halloween is a chain of 600 stores in 48 states. The Egg Harbor Township, N.J.-based company is a division of Spencer Gifts.

Also in Fairview Heights, off of West Highway 50, Johnnie Brock’s Dungeon has a store. Manager Nancho Rodriguez has overseen the St. Louis-based business’ metro-east operation for the past 10 years.

“For a long time, we were the only store in the area,” Rodriguez said. “Tribout’s has always had its store in Belleville, and what happened one year was we weren’t able to get a location in Fairview Heights, and they saw an opportunity and rented a small location and set up, and that’s how they expanded.”

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