Saint Paul, MN -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/08/2013 -- Spirit Halloween MN is the oldest and largest Halloween retailer in Minnesota, with 6 seasonal stores this year. This year marks their 20th anniversary in the Twin Cities.
As a local, family-operated business, owners Val and Dick Cohn and son Matt have seen a lot of changes in the Halloween season and shopping over the years.
Beginning with just one store in 1993, the Cohns soon discovered the Twin Cities’ love for Halloween.
"Most of our customers are Halloween fanatics," says Dick Cohn, a St. Paul native. "They have become our friends, and come to us year after year, always excited and ready to see the latest in decorations, animatronics, special effects, and, of course, costumes, masks and makeup."
According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), it's not just Minnesotans excited about Halloween. They say it is now a $7 billion plus industry with over 170 million Americans expected to celebrate the holiday this year.
According to NRF Spokesperson Kathy Grannis, "though not the biggest consumer spending event of the year – statistically behind bigger gift-giving holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Easter – Halloween is still big business for retailers, and companies are preparing for another big year."
This year, as part of their 20th Anniversary celebration, the Cohns have opened a store in the Mall of America for the first time. "We're really excited about being in MOA this year!" says Val Cohn. "We seriously have the largest collection of costumes, masks, makeup, decorations, party supplies, and everything else you can imagine for Halloween. It will give us chance to reach so many Halloween fans! "
The Cohns’ other Spirit Halloween locations are in Edina, Maplewood, Minnetonka, Roseville, and St. Louis Park.
Spirit Halloween offers exclusive, high-quality costumes at affordable prices that can’t be found elsewhere, such as characters, accessories and party goods from The Walking Dead, Anchorman, Regular Show, Adventure Time, The Lone Ranger, and more. Exclusive lawn décor include the Zombie Flamingo, Female Zombie Gnome, Zombie Cat and Zombie Deer.
Speaking of zombies, the Twin Cities’ annual Zombie Crawl is October 12 this year, Spirit Halloween is the cities’ largest resource of makeup, wounds, scars, bandages, and blood.
In addition to being a Halloween retailer, the Cohns again this year support the Spirit of Children which supports Child Life departments to help make hospital stays less scary for kids and their families. Since 2007, the program has raised over $11 million for over 130 children's hospitals. The Spirit Halloween stores in Minnesota throw an annual Halloween party, and last year donated over $20,000 for the Shriners Hospitals for Children® — Twin Cities.
Contact:
Val Cohn
Spirit Halloween MN
6 Fifth St W, Suite 666
St. Paul, MN 55102
(612) 272-2148
val@halloweenmn.com
http://halloweenmn.com