WEST LEBANON — For some in the Upper Valley, the scariest thing about this Halloween season is that there is not a Spirit Halloween store in the area; few options remain for costumes and holiday decorations.

The national costume chain pops up around the country annually, with most locations opening in the late summer. Some 1,525 locations opened this year. In previous years, the shop has been in Upper Valley Plaza in West Lebanon. In August 2023, Barnes and Noble opened at that location.

This season, the nearest Spirit Halloween locations announced by the company are Tilton, Concord and Keene in New Hampshire; and Rutland in Vermont. The store announced in an Aug. 27 press release that the majority of locations had opened for the season.

Other Halloween options in the Upper Valley are limited. Not only was the store a popular location for purchasing costumes and decorations, but some families saw shopping at the elaborately decorated store as a festive activity in itself.

Melissa Pinkley, of Enfield, said she looked forward to taking her children to Spirit Halloween every year. For her, it was an affordable way to celebrate the holiday.

“It’s just a retail store, but for many families this is as close as they would get to experiencing a haunted house,” she said.

Spirit Halloween first opened in West Lebanon in 2019 after Party City closed the same year.

In 2021, locally-owned Costumania went out of business, leaving Spirit Halloween as one of the few costume shops in the area. At that time, Costumania owner Mark Young cited the national chain as dealing a major blow to the business each Halloween season.

Tracy Hutchins, president of the Upper Valley Business Association, echoed Young’s claims, saying in an email that many area business owners do not want to see Spirit Halloween locations in the area because they are not locally owned and can undercut the prices of local stores.

Spirit Halloween prides itself on creating a “haunting in-store experience,” according to the same August press release, complete with scary displays and animatronics for guests to explore.

Enfield’s Pinkley said she thinks most people will turn to thrift stores — such as the Listen Community Services — online shopping or “get more creative” to meet their Halloween shopping needs.

One popular option is Listen’s Halloween sale that began last Friday.

Listen’s Lebanon thrift store was extremely busy during the first two days of the event, said Irene Marois, the store manager.

Marois described sales as “incredible,” adding that not only were people searching for Halloween costumes, but many found vintage items and costumes for school projects and plays.

Jackie Coyne is a Listen shopper who was at the Halloween sale twice already in his ongoing search for festive items.

While there may be other Halloween shopping options in the area, Coyne said few have “the variety and the quality” that can be found at the Listen Halloween sale.

Clare Shanahan can be reached at cshanahan@vnews.com and 603-727-3216.