Spirit Halloween is back. See where it's haunting California

Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA Today Network/Palm Springs Desert Sun

Storefronts that sat empty just weeks ago are suddenly awash in orange and black.

Even though summer is still in full swing, Spirit Halloween is making its annual return. Across California and the rest of the nation, the seasonal retailer has begun moving into vacant spaces once occupied by chains such as Joann, Big Lots and Rite Aid.

Here’s what to know as spooky season slowly creeps closer.

Where are Spirit Halloween stores planned in California this season?

When asked where and when Spirit Halloween stores will be opening across the Golden State, Lori Tesoro, a company spokesperson, pointed to the retailer’s online store locator.

As of Monday, Aug. 10, the locator showed that 126 California cities will have one or more Spirit Halloween stores this season.

Some store listings show they are already open, while others note they are opening in August or “coming soon.”

Here is a list of those cities:

Anaheim
Antioch
Atascadero
Azusa
Bakersfield
Beaumont
Brentwood
Buena Park
Burbank
Camarillo
Campbell
Capitola
Carlsbad
Chico
Chino
Chino Hills
Chula Vista
Citrus Heights
City of Industry
Clovis
Colton
Commerce
Compton
Concord
Corona
Corte Madera
Costa Mesa
Covina
Culver City
Cupertino
Daly City
Davis
Downey
Dublin
El Cajon
El Centro
Elk Grove
Encinitas
Escondido
Eureka
Fairfield
Folsom
Fontana
Fremont
Fresno
Fullerton
Garden Grove
Gilroy
Hanford
Hayward
Hemet
Hesperia
Hollister
Indio
Irvine
Jurupa Valley
La Cañada Flintridge
La Habra
La Mesa
La Verne
Laguna Hills
Laguna Niguel
Lake Elsinore
Lakewood
Long Beach
Los Angeles
Manteca
Marina del Rey
Merced
Modesto
Montclair
Monterey
Mountain View
Murrieta
National City
Oceanside
Ontario
Oxnard
Palm Desert
Palmdale
Pasadena
Petaluma
Pico Rivera
Placerville
Pleasanton
Poway
Rancho Cucamonga
Redding
Redlands
Redwood City
Riverside
Rohnert Park
Roseville
Sacramento
Salinas
San Bernardino
San Diego
San Fernando
San Jacinto
San Jose
San Luis Obispo
San Marcos
San Mateo
San Rafael
Santa Ana
Santa Maria
Santa Monica
Santa Rosa
Simi Valley
Stevenson Ranch
Stockton
Thousand Oaks
Torrance
Tracy
Turlock
Tustin
Upland
Vacaville
Ventura
Victorville
Visalia
Vista
West Covina
Westminster
Woodland Hills
Yuba City

Spirit Halloween’s ties to the Golden State

Spirit Halloween’s origins have surprising ties to the Golden State, specifically the San Francisco Bay Area.

In the early 1980s, Joseph Marver opened “Spirit Women’s Discount Apparel” in Castro Valley, according to SF Gate.

Faced with lackluster sales, Marver decided to try something different in the fall of 1983, pushing aside racks of clothing to make room for Halloween merchandise, the outlet reported.

“It was the best October I ever had,” Marver told the Los Angeles Times in 2000.

Encouraged by the success, he opened a dedicated Halloween store in a local mall the following year, the newspaper reported.

“They laughed at me and put me in a corner hidden behind an old restaurant. When I did $100,000 in 30 days, they were astounded,” he said, the Times reported.

Marver eventually sold the company in 1999 to Spencer’s Gifts, according to SF Gate. Spencer’s remains Spirit Halloween’s parent company today.

Marver built a boutique hotel in Twisp, Washington, which he ran until his death in March 2025, according to an online obituary.

There, Marver told KQED in 2023, he kept the spirit of Halloween alive.

“I just basically decorate my hotel, and I get 200 to 300 kids who come by and trick-or-treat. And it just brings back the memories,” he told the station.

Where is Spirit Halloween’s flagship store?

Spirit Halloween’s flagship store is in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The location celebrated its grand opening on Aug. 1.

Retailer announces 1000s of jobs

In early June, Spirit Halloween announced it was hiring more than 5,200 seasonal associates to support its more than 1,500 locations across the U.S. and Canada. People interested in a position can text “Reaper” to 85000 to apply, the company said in a news release.