A zombie army of former big-box stores and neighborhood retail outlets are finding new life this scary season as pop-up locations for Spirit Halloween Superstores.

Axios reports that Spirit Halloween, which bills itself as North America’s largest Halloween retailer, is haunting an estimated 1,500 empty store locations across the country in September and October with its ghoulish blend of Halloween costumes, decorations and makeup.

The company relies on temporary leases of empty retail locations to create its seasonal shops. The arrangement also brings property owners exposure and a few months of rent while they continue to look for tenants.

Pop-up Halloween stores have become increasingly popular in recent years as consumers continue to spend more on Halloween. According to the National Retail Federation, U.S. consumers are expected to spend $13.5 billion this year on Halloween candy, costumes and decorations. That is up from $13.1 billion in 2025.

The list of the stores that once filled the spaces being taken over by Spirit Halloween is a reminder of the once-popular ghost retail outlets of the past.

The company is reportedly filling 153 former Joann stores, the largest number of any of the former retailers to house the short-term pop-ups. Through acquisitions and internal expansion, the fabric and arts and crafts outlet grew to an empire of 855 stores across the country in 2018 and was a mainstay of the do-it-yourself movement. However, changing attitudes, the pandemic shutdown and other factors led to the company filing for bankruptcy in 2024 and liquidating its locations in 2025.

The Halloween retailer is also filling 105 former Big Lots locations, 100 Party City storefronts and 88 former Rite Aid locations. It can be found in 31 Sears stores, 26 former Tuesday Morning locations, 25 former Bed, Bath & Beyond stores and 25 empty CVS stores. Empty storefronts for American Freight and Value City Furniture are also being used by the retailer.