Swansea Halloween pop-up racking up sales in former Toys "R" Us space

SWANSEA – The Toys “R” Us store in Swansea ceased to exist in 2018, less than a year after the company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and announced it would close all its U.S. stores.

But the 10,000-square-foot commercial space hasn’t gone to waste.

For three years running it’s been utilized for nearly three months out of each year as a Halloween pop-up store courtesy of New Jersey-based Spencer Gifts LLC, otherwise known as Spencer’s Spirit Holdings Inc., or simply Spencer’s.

The Spirit of Halloween seasonal stores typically boast the largest array of spooky ‘Ween-based costumes, décor and animatronic characters in any given region.

That’s according to Jordan Pacheco, a district sales manager who oversees eight southeastern Massachusetts locations.

Pacheco, 36, says sales have been strong this season at the 86 Swansea Mall Drive Spirit of Halloween, which opened in mid August and will close during the first week of November.

“It’s been busy despite covid,” he said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic that has crippled a multitude of businesses across the country and resulted in the loss of millions of jobs.

Pacheco says the customer trend this Halloween is to remain indoors and either throw house parties or host family-and-friends get-togethers, as opposed to traditional door-to-door, trick or treating.

He says Spirit of Halloween stores have an advantage over other retailers by dint of their abundance, variety and quality of merchandise.

But he also stresses that shoppers enjoy visiting because of the elaborate and interactive nature of the stores.

“It’s the in-store experience with our music and displays,” Pacheco said. “It’s not just shopping. When you come in you have a good time.”

It’s not surprising, Pacheco said, that spooky-scary home décor merchandise is playing a much larger revenue role, as parents curtail their children’s outdoor activities.

He says the first Spirit of Halloween store in Swansea was located in the former Sears store that was attached to the adjacent and now-defunct Swansea Mall. Before, that, he said, the nearest location was in Seekonk.

Popular items this season, Pacheco said, have included scary, stand-up animatronics such as the Stephen King-inspired Pennywise — an old crowd-pleaser that resembles a malevolent clown-human hybrid straight out of a nightmare.

The big surprise of the season, Pacheco said, has been the popularity of imitation astronaut helmets.

“We’ve been selling out all we’ve had, and I’ve got no idea why,” he said.

Pacheco, however, says a popular video game with a space exploration theme might be driving those sales.

Last May, Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, launched a free video game that can be played from a Web browser called ISS Docking Simulator, which is based on real software utilized by the private rocket company.

The next closest Spirit of Halloween store to Swansea is in the former Circuit City building set back from Route 6 in Dartmouth.

Pacheco says that particular store is particularly interesting because of its shape and construction.

He said the company also has a long-running charitable fundraiser called Spirit of Children — with donations of money, costumes and toys going to hospitals specializing in treating children with life-threatening illnesses.

Pacheco says money raised in his district goes to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence.

“We’ve managed to raise $4,000 just in Dartmouth,” he said, adding that “even though it’s a tough time, people have been very generous, and we’re grateful.”

Spencer’s stores have a reputation for selling outlandish and sometimes risqué gag and novelty gifts. The company also sells a line of sex toys on its website.

It opened in 1947 as a mail order business in Pennsylvania and opened its first retail store in 1963 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

The company’s Spirit of Halloween stores first opened in 1983.