Let's check out what the stores are sporting for Halloween this year. It's always fun to see what style trends are happening. My favorite is Victorian gothic.
Grandin Road is an online store that consistently has classy, beautiful, and fairly expensive items. Perusing their lineup is inspiring. One thing that is worth the price is not only the unique items, but the fact that they are painted in a way that doesn't look cheap, but looks real and stunning. So many decorations and animatronics seem cheesy, but not Grandin Road's! I am starting all over with my Halloween decor, having left the old stuff behind. I look forward to getting some keep-forever items from Grandin Road, along with the usual cheap-made items you throw out after a few years of wear and tear. If you have cash and you want true art beauty for Halloween, Grandin Road is perfect!
Home Depot is always the go-to for oversized animatronics. The pricing is reasonable, and the displays are delightfully mesmerizing. Honestly, when Halloween starts showing up in stores, I want to go to Home Depot first, even before Michael's. There's something about standing there and activating animatronics that brings out the excited child in me. For me, Home Depot is your front yard haunt outdoors mecca to impress!
Michael's is always the go-to for seasonal decor and Halloween is always a big hit. I've noticed that they have expanded the glam version of Halloween in recent years. I'm not a big fan of pink and fluffy, friendly, and pretty Halloween. I appreciate their vintage-looking items. It goes without saying, I hit Michael's every season, often a few times. Of all the locations, this is the one I consistently get new items at. Michaels, for me, is indoors small scale decor to create an ambiance.
At Home store offers the usual Halloween items. Sometimes, it's a good one to hit if you want to find some odd item you haven't seen elsewhere. It's not my first go-to for Halloween, but it's a good one when you've hit the others but still want more. Home Goods has a similar vibe. You may not find unique and amazing stuff, but it'll get you done!
Oddly, Spirit Halloween, the most popular Halloween store, is a fun one for costumes, but their animatronics are often so cheaply painted that I would have to upcycle them to make them passably spooky. Their decor can be cute if you are into themes like Hocus Pocus or Michael Myers, but I am revising my entire Halloween setup indoors and out this year, starting from scratch. I don't know if Spirit Halloween will hit the mark for me, but I would shop for a costume there.
You might find what you really want in Goodwill and antique shops September into November because, honestly, they carry retro stuff you don't see anywhere else, the vintage creep.
