Halloween Coming To Gwinnett, Opening In Former Retail Spots

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA – As summer winds down, some may be looking forward to the fall season and already prepping for Halloween.

If you're one of those people, you're in luck.

Spirit Halloween, a temporary pop-up Halloween store chain, will be opening at the former Staples at 860 Duluth Hwy Ste 110, Lawrenceville, and 2255 Pleasant Hill Rd Ste 310, in the former JCPenney Home Store, Next to Staples, in Duluth.

The Duluth store is opening Tuesday at 11 a.m. and the Lawrenceville store is opening soon, the website says. When it does, hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursdays.

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After Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and big box retailers close for good, many have been wondering what will permanently fill their vacancies.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, there are indications that Hobby Lobby is a big player in the game. Burlington Stores Inc. and TJX Co., which owns stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, are also among the retailers expected to take over those empty stores.

Conor Flynn, CEO of Kimco Realty Corporation, said at a consumer conference in June that many of the larger big-box storefronts will be taken up by Hobby Lobby, according to the Journal. Kimco has interests in about 475 shopping centers. According to the Journal, Flynn said off-price retailers, fitness centers and specialty grocers are likely to go after the Toys R' Us stores that are about 35,000 square feet each.

The smaller stores, that are 20,000-25,000 square feet, are more suited for retailers like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, Flynn said, per the Journal.

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