With October 31 almost upon us, most of us have finished Halloween shopping. However, if you ever forget to order your Halloween costume or buy one in advance, do not get spooked. Waterville has an abundance of stores for Halloween shopping, such as TJMaxx, Marden’s, Walmart, Goodwill, and most famously, Spirit Halloween.
Beginning sometimes as early as July, TJMaxx stocks its shelves with discounted Halloween items like ghost pillows, faux pumpkins, and many other decorations. While TJMaxx does not sell many costumes, if you’re shopping for decor, TJMaxx is nearby in JFK Plaza to maximize your Halloween decorating. Kira Thornton `28 said that although she has found TJMaxx is not as helpful for finding costumes, she enjoys the selection of props. Plus, with Halloween decorations coming out as early as the summer, TJMaxx gives you plenty of time to scour its shelves for the perfect items.
Another discount store in the area that students like to go to is Marden’s. Zoe Paley `28 said she went here recently to see if she and her friends could find outfits, but Marden’s also primarily sold Halloween candy and decor as well.
However, Halloween is more than just decor. If you need a little bit of everything and do not know where to start, Walmart may be able to help with your scary situation. From candy, costumes, decorations, and more, Walmart has a wide array of merchandise to fill some of your Halloween needs. Thornton mentioned that while she usually does not find complete costumes at Walmart that she likes, she can find clothes and materials to add to her costume, such as a bedsheet for a ghost costume.
Going off of this DIY Halloween theme, Goodwill is another Halloween shopping option in the area. Luckily, this location is also easy to get to, as the College shuttle stops at the Alfond Main Street Commons, which is right next to a Goodwill. While what you find at Goodwill is never guaranteed, the mystery is both a drawback and excitement of thrifting. You may not find anything, or you might find exactly what you are looking for and more. Thornton had a successful time at this Goodwill location last fall when putting together her Velma costume from Scooby Doo, but other students that I spoke with mentioned that they could not find anything good to make their costumes out of. While this is a risk you take shopping at Goodwill, you may be lucky like Thornton when shopping here and find exactly what you are looking for.
This year, Waterville is home to Spirit Halloween, which is a well-known place to go Halloween shopping. Spirit Halloween pops up in shopping plazas each fall to sell almost any Halloween costume and accessory you could ever think of. The store often carries a wide selection of costumes, fog machines, lights, and accessories like masks, weapons, and other props. Paley told me that as a kid she was “a big DIY-er” for her Halloween costumes, but now that she is in college, she does not have as much time. Spirit Halloween is helpful in this remark, as all the costumes are already put together and has a lot of accessories at its disposal for you to choose from.
This chain is also known for its somewhat creepy Halloween atmosphere that is brought to life by its animatronics. Spirit Halloween’s animatronics are animated Halloween props that move and make sounds. Thornton mentioned that one time an animatronic would not take its red laser eyes off her, which made her Halloween shopping a bit creepier. Still, the animatronics provide an elevated Halloween shopping experience.
Whether you are fully prepared for Halloween or need to run out and get some last minute items, here are five stores in the area that are available for your Halloween shopping needs.
~ Haley Hegarty `28
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