Every year, local stores and Halloween-related events amp up their Halloween spirit to provide a spooky spectacular for students and locals alike. However, the question remains-how do these year-round attractions survive the off season? The answer: college theme parties and the artistic population of Wilmington looking for gore and more.

Within recent years, “Hollywood East” has had Halloween-centered events and stores flock to the Port City. With many Wilmington natives being creative “right-brainers” and partying college students, themed events happen year-round. College-themed parties have become so prevalent that, according to many venues, they need to stay open for all seasons. These venues and stores also say artists who hold events to showcase their work often utilize the dress-up aspect of Halloween. While these reasons seem simple enough, year-round Halloween stores and events do struggle to retain relevance.

Nineteen years ago, Halloween & More began with a group of friends with one store and developed into six stores statewide. Owners Bob and Laura Bridges have always enjoyed the holiday and the idea of costuming. They made the decision to have the store year-round to support Wilmington’s notorious movie and theater industries.

“For us, the difficulty of being seasonal is trying to still be a part of the community,” Bob Bridges said.

That community driven decision to be year-round illustrates how significant Wilmington’s location is to the business. Without Wilmington’s theater or college scene, there would be no store. Bridges explained how college students utilize the store for theme parties, but some members of the Greek life feel differently.

“For most parties or themed mixers, my first stop is a thrift store, and if they don’t have what I need then I’ll go to a costume store,” said Mason Marshall, vice president of Delta Sigma Phi. 

At Halloween and More, it’s not solely about this one holiday but rather the excitement of having costumes available every month of the year. However, the novelty of a seasonal Halloween store has worn off.

“Since it’s now a year round business practically, it’s almost like the magic of Halloween is gone,” said theater major Emily Burton. “I remember as a child getting so excited seeing Halloween stores come to my local mall and seeing everyone get a certain sparkle in their eyes.”

People expect there to be a store with a costume for him or her, so the rush is less prevalent.  However, the Bridges work extremely hard to sustain a full time Halloween themed store. With lots of dedication, grassroots work, and superior customer service, they have been able to do just that.

“Halloween and More” survives through the products offered by their store; however, local events rely on the quality of their act and the appeal of their show to survive.

The Brown Coat Pub and Theater hosts a monthly “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” College friends and UNCW grads Richard Davis and Wesley Brown decided to go beyond restrictive college shows and create their own show, where nudity and audience interaction were acceptable. According to Davis, the Browncoat exists for artists looking for an outlet.

“Browncoat is here to support local artists,” Davis said. “Most [of our shows] are locally written and we offer resources and assistance to emerging artists.”

Although “Rocky Horror” is a year-round event, the theater goes all out for Halloween.

“It’s trick-or-treating for adults,” Davis said. “Wilmington’s historic city, vibrant art culture and bohemian feel enable Halloween to be a great season.”

In the off-season, “Rocky Horror” hosts gimmick shows, including superhero and punk rock versions. This show enables artists to express themselves in unique ways other venues don’t offer.

Panic Attack is a “Rocky Horror” type attraction of its own.

Panic Attack is a well known haunted attraction in Wilmington. Anthony Neer and Jeremy Long opened the haunt about 10 years ago in Whiteville, N.C. because of their fixation of the season. As time progressed, they brought the attraction to Wilmington, because they wanted to offer such a show of this type to a location that’s never seen such before.

“Wilmington didn’t have anything to the magnitude of what Panic Attack is,” said Panic Attack actor Ethan Gaskill.

During the off-season, the owners and many actors stay busy working towards the next year. They spend a great amount of time planning and preparing for the next season by attending trade shows across the country looking for state-of-the-art haunt props, costumes and new themes. Much time is spent deciding how to make the haunt bigger and better. This attraction takes pride in being different, with its vast use of technology and the effort put into it.

“Panic Attack is the most cinematic haunted house in Wilmington” Gaskill said.

By catering to Hollywood East’s many artists and college students, these Halloween-themed stores and attractions thrive during the off-season by refocusing their attention to different audiences.