CityNerd | How Spirit Halloween Transforms Strip Malls Into Vibrant Wonderlands @CityNerd | Uploaded October 2023 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
Spirit Halloween comes in for a lot of criticism for leasing vacant and often distressed strip mall space for a few months, and then packing up shop on November 1, leaving a moribund shopping center no better off than it was before. But is there more to the story? And is the success of Spirit's business model a symptom of much deeper problems in the way we've planned and designed our cities?
Another installment of the Investigating Heinous Land Uses series!
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CityNerd is now available on Nebula -- streaming ad-free, along with lots of other great creators! Discount for signing up at my channel:
go.nebula.tv/citynerd
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Patreon - a way to directly support continuing CityNerd output! Thanks to all who have signed up so far.
patreon.com/CityNerd
----------
Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- All About Power Centers! youtu.be/D2Pj6TcNP6Y
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Resources:
- Rachel Quednau's piece at Strong Towns on Spirit Halloween and the failed suburban experiment: strongtowns.org/journal/2021/9/29/about-that-spirit-halloween-store-you-always-see-around-this-time-of-year
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Images
- Sprit Halloween photos:
--- By JJBers from Willimantic, Connecticut, USA - Spirit Halloween (Dayville, Connecticut), CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=102916012
--- By Mike Mozart from Funny YouTube, USA - Spirit Halloween Shop 2016, Former Sports Authority, Farmington, CT Pics by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube #Spirit #Halloween #2016, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92571072
--- By Flickr user Scott Schrantz flickr.com/photos/scottschrantz/3952589394 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0
--- By Flickr user Brecht Bug, flickr.com/photos/93779577@N00/10456537163
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0
- Barclay Sq strip mall By Michael Rivera - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33636097
- Superdry by Flickr User Choo Yut Shing: flickr.com/photos/25802865@N08/38202392871/in/photostream creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0
- DFactory By Alexmaresgarcia - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52916801
- Uniqlo Popup by Flickr User MTA flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos/10333508835 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
- Amazon trucks by Flickr User Todd Van Hoosear: flickr.com/photos/vanhoosear/44155424640 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
- Vampires By Terry Robinson - Oldschool Vampires, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44111413
- Dr. Frankenstein by Flickr User Tim White: flickr.com/photos/timw1/43505726854 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0
- Zombies By Andrew Mercer (www.baldwhiteguy.co.nz) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81752188
- Amazon van By Jay8g - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=126538508
- UPS truck By Mr.choppers - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39270632
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Instagram: @nerd4cities
Twitter: @nerd4cities
BlueSky: @nerd4cities
Threads: @nerd4cities
Mastodon: @nerd4cities@mstdn.social
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Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)
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Business Inquiries: thecitynerd@nebula.tv
Spirit Halloween comes in for a lot of criticism for leasing vacant and often distressed strip mall space for a few months, and then packing up shop on November 1, leaving a moribund shopping center no better off than it was before. But is there more to the story? And is the success of Spirit's business model a symptom of much deeper problems in the way we've planned and designed our cities?
Another installment of the Investigating Heinous Land Uses series!
----------
CityNerd is now available on Nebula -- streaming ad-free, along with lots of other great creators! Discount for signing up at my channel:
go.nebula.tv/citynerd
----------
Patreon - a way to directly support continuing CityNerd output! Thanks to all who have signed up so far.
patreon.com/CityNerd
----------
Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- All About Power Centers! youtu.be/D2Pj6TcNP6Y
----------
Resources:
- Rachel Quednau's piece at Strong Towns on Spirit Halloween and the failed suburban experiment: strongtowns.org/journal/2021/9/29/about-that-spirit-halloween-store-you-always-see-around-this-time-of-year
----------
Images
- Sprit Halloween photos:
--- By JJBers from Willimantic, Connecticut, USA - Spirit Halloween (Dayville, Connecticut), CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=102916012
--- By Mike Mozart from Funny YouTube, USA - Spirit Halloween Shop 2016, Former Sports Authority, Farmington, CT Pics by Mike Mozart of TheToyChannel and JeepersMedia on YouTube #Spirit #Halloween #2016, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92571072
--- By Flickr user Scott Schrantz flickr.com/photos/scottschrantz/3952589394 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0
--- By Flickr user Brecht Bug, flickr.com/photos/93779577@N00/10456537163
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0
- Barclay Sq strip mall By Michael Rivera - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33636097
- Superdry by Flickr User Choo Yut Shing: flickr.com/photos/25802865@N08/38202392871/in/photostream creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0
- DFactory By Alexmaresgarcia - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52916801
- Uniqlo Popup by Flickr User MTA flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos/10333508835 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
- Amazon trucks by Flickr User Todd Van Hoosear: flickr.com/photos/vanhoosear/44155424640 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0
- Vampires By Terry Robinson - Oldschool Vampires, CC BY-SA 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44111413
- Dr. Frankenstein by Flickr User Tim White: flickr.com/photos/timw1/43505726854 creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0
- Zombies By Andrew Mercer (www.baldwhiteguy.co.nz) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81752188
- Amazon van By Jay8g - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=126538508
- UPS truck By Mr.choppers - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39270632
----------
Instagram: @nerd4cities
Twitter: @nerd4cities
BlueSky: @nerd4cities
Threads: @nerd4cities
Mastodon: @nerd4cities@mstdn.social
----------
Music:
CityNerd background: Caipirinha in Hawaii by Carmen María and Edu Espinal (YouTube music library)
----------
Business Inquiries: thecitynerd@nebula.tv
