Halloween stores get customers in the spirit
They've got the super scary.
They've got the sugary sweet.
And they've got everything in between.
Everywhere you look along the Randall Road corridor, temporary Halloween stores have opened, selling Halloween decor and costumes for everyone from infants to adults.
Halloween USA has spots in Geneva Commons and Algonquin Commons along Randall Road.
Halloween Express has a location in South Elgin.
And, last month, Spirit Halloween opened stores along Randall Road in Elgin, Batavia and Algonquin.
Even with so many of the Halloween stores out there, they're all pretty popular, employees said.
"As soon as Oct. 1 hit, the people started coming in. We got really busy," said Holly Huffstutler of the Spirit Halloween store in Algonquin.
And what are they looking for?
Some come in just to see the elaborate Halloween decorations. Many of the stores have the spider webs, the talking monsters and the opening coffins laid out on their sales floors, almost like a haunted house. They sell the animated figures, too, so you can decorate your lair in a similar way.
People also stop in to get ideas for costumes, whether it's one of the characters from the children's show "Yo Gabba Gabba" or the one-gloved wonder, Michael Jackson.
"People are in here all of the time," said Kim Brztowski, assistant manager of the Halloween USA in Geneva Commons, which opened in September.
"Everything is popular this year. We don't have just one. People are in to everything. And everything is going fast," she said.
By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, the stores will be gone. Most of them close shortly after Halloween.
Fall fruits: To keep you in a festive mood this fall, Morkes Chocolates, just off Randall Road in Algonquin, has its caramel apples ready for you to bite.
Morkes uses fresh apples shipped from Michigan and covers them with their homemade caramel.
But they don't just have regular caramel apples. They also have them covered in dark chocolate, white chocolate, Oreos and full of turtle candy.
If apples aren't your thing, the store also has chocolate brains and eyeballs just for the Halloween season.
Fall Tasting: Gibby's Wine Den along Randall Road in Geneva is hosting a Fall Wine Tasting Series.
Each flight will give you a chance to taste at least 24 wines and interact with one of the wine distributors.
The first will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, with others following Nov. 6 and 20.
The cost is $10 per person. For details, call (630) 208-6424.
• Amy Williams' column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from Batavia to Crystal Lake. Contact her at randallbiz@comcast.net or (847) 894-5036.