When the scammers visit Patty Martinez’s home in South Mants Street, they should be wary of killing the evil clowns at the Carnival.
Although Martinez spent about $500 to decorate her home for Halloween this year, she spent about $300 because of her theme “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” This year she has scaled down because her husband can’t help her decorate because of health problems.
She decorates for all holidays, but Halloween is her favorite.
“I like to see what I can do… I like it very much, because my children are very small, and now my grandchildren like to see all the decorations,” said Martinez, 48, who is in six. The month began to plan ghost decorations. “This is a bit of a time of fear, it doesn’t matter.”
Martinez is one of the many residents of the crossroads, spending less on Halloween this year. According to data from the National Retail Federation, across the country, Americans expect to spend about $9 billion on Halloween this fall, down $100 million from last year.
Jeanie Borden, 43, traditionally spends about $300 a year on Halloween parties and covers her house with homemade decorations. This year, she decided not to go because she was repairing at Wood Hi Road’s home, and her dog had a puppy.
Together with her family, she created her own costume for Halloween and is considering becoming the grandmother of the Little Red Riding Hood story to match the family of her 24-year-old daughter. Her daughter plans to become Little Red Riding Hood, her daughter’s 17-month-old son will become a wolf, and her son-in-law will be dressed as a coward.
Borden wore her outfits all year round and spent only $12 or more than $500. Her last five years of clothing include Queen Victoria Werewolf Girl, Demon Pagan Priestess, Medusa and Dolly Umbridge, from “Harry Potter.”
Robin Janecka, 43, now expects her annual private Halloween party at the Power Avenue warehouse at the same price as last year: $2,500. The party has 16 moderators this year, and they each bear part of the cost. The party had 21 moderators last year.
Janecka said that the party started its 30th birthday party as a friend 14 years ago, and the same group of friends decided to use it as a tradition. The owner renovates the decorations every year, including the old coffin used as a beverage cooler.
This year’s theme is a pet cemetery, where the party will start an hour ago and offer a rich appetizer, not just a snack. About 200 people participated last year, and Janecka expects more people to participate this year.
“We have pets everywhere,” she said. “When you enter the doorway of the venue, we will have a small graveyard with a tombstone with the names of people inside the party.”
She said that although people spend less on Halloween this year, the business growth rate of Halloween Soul Store manager Carrie Wilburn in September increased by about 15% compared to the same period in 2017.
Wilborne said that the store 7708 Zac Lentz Parkway has sold out its large evil clown electronic animation and crawling girl electronic animation. Since the first opening of the Victoria store 10 years ago, its size and inventory have more than doubled.
“Our business has grown every year,” she said. “Our sales are growing every year and we have been here.”
This year’s new clothing includes roles in the children’s and adult video game Fortnite, characters in the TV shows “PJ Masks” and “Paw Patrol” and children’s unicorns. The store has more unicorns and mermaids as well as adult ghost squads.
Elvira’s Closet, 1010 Juan Linn St., has been open for nine years during the season. Owner Elvira Flores buys new and used clothing and sells them at a discounted price.
“I started buying a little bit for Halloween,” she said. “I noticed that the price of the store was very high. I went to buy some and marked the price as half the normal price and advertised it, and it took off.”
She said that this year’s business is stable, similar to the 2017 season, but she is expected to pick up.
Despite this situation, Martinez plans to decorate her home on Halloween.
“I just like to do this. I like a lot of art and crafts. This is what I like to do in my spare time,” she said. “The imagination of Halloween makes my creativity even stronger. I can do more on Halloween than on other holidays.
