They’re creepy and they’re kooky
Mysterious and spooky
They’re all together ooky
The Bedford Neighborhoods
Halloween decorations are big business. Nearly 70 percent of U.S. consumers plan on celebrating Halloween this year, sending projected spending on the category to $10.6 billion, up from $10.1 billion in 2021. That’s a billion with a “B.”
But Halloween wasn’t always a holiday where consumers shelled out for decorations and other items.
So how did this holiday become a more than $10 billion business?
Early Halloween traditions in the U.S.
The idea of celebrating Halloween coincides with Irish and Scottish immigrants coming here in the 19th century.
In the early 1900s, Halloween was mostly for adults. Adult parties would often have scary decorations. These were usually small and disposable – to be thrown out after the holiday.
In the 1930s, the focus shifted to kids, leading manufacturers to make more family-friendly decorations.
Retailers quickly jumped on the bandwagon. Home Depot now carries 861 products related to Halloween, up from 418 just a year ago. Other retailers have quickly capitalized on this as well.
Mark Ledenbach, who wrote a book on Halloween collectibles, calls Halloween the “gateway to the holidays.” It gives retailers a reliable way to drive traffic to stores between spring and the holiday season. Driving around Bedford certainly confirms the phenomenon.
Here are random photos of some of the displays around our town. Please share with us what you’re seeing. You can email your photos to [email protected]. Send them by Sunday to be included in Monday’s edition of The Bedford Citizen.
Loading ...
