Halloween decor can be scary yet sophisticated. Here’s how...
One of the more awkward truths of adulthood is that grown-ups love Halloween as much, or possibly even more, than the kids do. Luckily, a stroll through local shops, a flip through the catalogs, and a tap or two on the keyboard make it abundantly clear that Halloween décor has taken a decidedly sophisticated, adult-worthy turn.
“For many people, it’s not just a holiday, it’s a lifestyle,” Grandin Road spokesman Tyler Thompson says. “It’s the elegant party you can have where it’s not child’s play anymore.”
From elegantly produced spooky tableware and barware, evocative tablecloths and linens, mantel scarves, themed pillows and decorative pieces galore, Halloween-specific goods have evolved way beyond the plastic skeleton and rubber rat to a place reserved for wedding registry-quality family treasures.
Major upscale catalogs, online sites and brick-and-mortar chains such as Grandin Road, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel, and local venues such as the Orange County nursery Roger’s Gardens and the Canoga Park holiday store Traditions, have invested heavily in delivering engaging, high-quality Halloween product.
They’ve done their research: Halloween spending — everything from costumes to candy — is projected to reach $8.4 billion in 2016, an all-time high. About half of those surveyed were planning on decorating their houses, and one-third were either throwing or attending a party. Within the niche sophisticated décor category, retailers see a burgeoning market.
“Every year it grows and grows,” acknowledges Michelle Foss, vice president of merchandising for Williams-Sonoma. Her observation is echoed by Pottery Barn’s executive vice president of product development, Monica Bhargava. “This is décor that the customer is going to bring out again,” she notes, “and they will add on the next year.”
The consumer rush to buy online begins the day after Fourth of July, catalogs arrive in early August, and product can sell out quickly. Roger’s Gardens, known for its elaborate Halloween presentations that account for 21% of its annual sales, sells a third of its stock during its early September opening week.
So far, consumer appetite shows no signs of slackening. “It’s definitely growing, to be honest,” says Kelly Lambert, head holiday merchant for Grandin Road.
Here are some Halloween hot spots to hit:
Roger’s Gardens
A look inside Roger’s Gardens Halloween displays.
The nursery’s over-the-top Halloween showcase, now in its 20th year, draws up to 50,000 shoppers — for good reason. For this year’s theme, “Grimm Tales,” five rooms are full of European and American product inspired by the darker versions of Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The vast array of items spans tabletop to collectible figures to giant set pieces created by the in-house designers under the guidance of creative director Eric Cortina and buyer Hedda Staines. Their extraordinary hand-made one-of-a-kind props sell out to a handful of deep-pocket clients who come in before the early September opening, but there’s plenty of unusual décor pieces to buy — on tables, in barrels, on shelving and in display cases. How good is their display? Disney creative types stop by annually to take a look and offer their praise. Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar; www.rogersgardens.com
Traditions
When Debi Thomas’s family started a holiday decorations business 22 years ago, Halloween was “a small portion,” she says. “Now it is a third of our store, and sales reflect that.” Located in Canoga Park in a 15,000-square-foot warehouse that includes a retail shop, Traditions does an extensive online business as well, specializing in collectibles and vintage-look pieces available year-round. Of note: Black goose-feather trees and exquisite European hand-blown, Halloween-themed glass ornaments.
8039 Deering Ave., Canoga Park; www.christmastraditions.com
Grandin Road
There isn’t any part of a home or its inhabitants that Grandin Road doesn’t cover for Halloween. This catalog and online resource teamed up in 2008 with Martha Stewart, who popularized the soigné Halloween party, to produce elaborate accessories and instructive vignettes. Martha is out of the picture, but today the company’s offerings top 250 items. The company’s approach is “a multi-channel perspective”: themed catalogs, an online “shoppable” video walk through a spooky house in which you can order as you wander, a concept shop at Macy’s New York and a robust social media presence. Business is “definitely growing,” says Kelly Lambert, head merchant for holiday celebrations. “It’s a great driver for Q3.” To die for: Skull and crossbones place-card holders, mantel scarves, hooked wool pillows, exclusive designer pumpkins. www.grandinroad.com
Williams-Sonoma
The upscale cooking and entertaining chain spends a year developing its Halloween line, currently 90 items in an “assortment that straddles whimsical for children but sophisticated for a cocktail party — that’s when we’ve hit the nail on the head for our customers,” says Michelle Foss, vice president of merchandising. Haunted houses and spooky moon-themed plates head the lineup. And speaking of heads, don’t miss the black skull punch bowl and matching mugs. Various locations; www.williamssonoma.com
Pottery Barn
“Any opportunity to have a party, we’re in,” says Monica Bhargava, executive vice president of product development. The San Francisco-based eight-person design team shops the world to develop wide-ranging offerings, including pillows, hanging décor, skeleton-hand Champagne flutes, table linens, mercury pumpkins and spooky lighted cloches. Nothing quite surpasses the tongue-in-cheek quality of the “Walking Dead” line of serving pieces, which this year includes a skeleton-draped wine cooler. Various locations; www.potterybarn.com
Other notables
Crate and Barrel’s black cauldron serving bowls, which come in several sizes, and haunted village drink dispenser and stand; Sur la Table’s haunted house cake stand and matching felt runner; Gump’s black and orange faux-pumpkin wreath.
