Spooky Season: Spirit Halloween To Open 53 Illinois Stores

In the movie "It's A Wonderful Life," Zuzu Bailey, George Bailey’s daughter, utters one of the most famous holiday-movie lines of all time when she says "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."

It's kind of like that with Spirit Halloween stores. Every time a Bed Bath & Beyond, Office Max, Sears, Circuit City, Party City, CVS, JoAnn Fabrics, Kmart, Sherwin Williams, Toys R Us, Old Navy, or Petco closes, a strip mall gets its Spirit Halloween store.

At least that's the case in Illinois this year and every year, and it's not any different in any of the other states.

If you're someone who's far more interested in the spooky season than you are in a Revolutionary War-era angel named Clarence getting an upgrade, you'll be happy to know that Illinois is loaded with Spirit Halloween stores once again in 2025.

Depending On Your Age, You Might Think That Spirit Halloween Stores Have Been Around Forever

The truth is that Spirit Halloween has been in existence for 42 years.

Spirit Halloween originated when a guy named Joe Marver converted his women's apparel store into a Halloween pop-up shop in 1983. Inspired by the success of a nearby costume shop, he opened the first dedicated Spirit Halloween store in 1984 at the Castro Valley Village Shopping Center in the San Francisco Bay Area.

By 1999, the company had expanded to 60 seasonal locations before being acquired by Spencer Gifts. Under Spencer's ownership, Spirit Halloween has grown to become the largest Halloween retailer in North America, operating over 1,500 seasonal locations each year.

Each year, Spirit Halloween raises funds for pediatric care through its Spirit of Children initiative, with ongoing support for 162 partner hospitals and aiming to raise $18 million, contributing to a total of over $145 million raised.

Spirit Halloween Stores Opened 50 Illinois Spots Last Year, And This Year They've Added Three More Locations

For the person or family that wants to hit them all before October 31st, here's the Illinois location list of Spirit Halloween stores in 2025:

• Algonquin: Former Party City, 704 S. Randall Road
• Arlington Heights: Former Room Place, 40 E. Rand Road
• Batavia: Former Sears Appliance, 3 N. Randall Road
• Berwyn: Former Party City, 7123 Cermak Road
• Bloomingdale: Former HHGregg, 340 W. Army Trail Road
• Bloomington: Former Macy's, 1615 E. Empire St.
• Bourbonnais: Former Carsons, 1600 Route 50
• Carbondale: Next to Ross, 1265 E. Main St.
• Champaign: Former Planet Fitness, 2002 Glenn Park Drive
• Chicago: Former Office Max, 1101 S. Canal St.
• Chicago: Former Party City, 1755 W. Fullerton Ave.
• Chicago: Former Party City, 3415 N. Western Ave.
• Chicago: Former America's Kids, 4951 W. North Ave.
• Chicago: Former Carsons, 7601 S. Cicero Ave.
• Chicago: Former CVS, 3156 W. 103rd St.
• Crestwood: Former Party City, 13220 S. Cicero Ave.
• Crystal Lake: Former Charter Fitness, 6308 Northwest Highway
• DeKalb: Next to Michaels, 2347 Sycamore Road
• Des Plaines: Former Kmart, 1155 E. Oakton St.
• Downers Grove: Former Party City, 1140 75th St.
• East Peoria: Former Big Lots, 2500 E. Washington St.
• Elgin: Former Big Lots, 204 S. Randall Road
• Fairview Heights: Former Joann Fabrics, 10865 Lincoln Trail
• Fairview Heights: Former Golf Galaxy, 17 Plaza Drive
• Forsyth: Former Pier One, 987 S. Route 51
• Granite City: Next to Rent-a-Center, 3675 Nameoki Road
• Gurnee: Former Encore Shoe in Gurnee Mills, 6170 W. Grand Ave.
• Joliet: Former Party City, 2661 Plainfield Road
• Joliet: Former Joann Fabrics, 2741 Plainfield Road
• Kildeer: Former PetSmart, 20771 N. Rand Road
• Lombard: Former Forever 21, 300 Yorktown Center
• Loves Park: Former Sherman Williams, 1504 E. Riverside Blvd.
• McHenry: Former Joann Fabrics, 3310 Shoppers Drive
• Melrose Park: Former Party City, 1222 Winston Plaza
• Mokena: Former Party City, 11375 Lincoln Highway
• Mount Prospect: Former Northern Tools, 201 W. Rand Road
• Naperville: Former Bed Bath and Beyond, 336 Route 59
• Niles: Former Party City, 9471 N. Milwaukee Ave.
• Norridge: Former Joann Fabrics, 4514 N. Harlem Ave.
• North Riverside: Former CVS, 7200 Cermak Road
• Orland Park: Former Buy Buy Baby, 1 Orland Park Place
• Oswego: Former Party City, 2406 Route 34
• Peoria: Former Bed Bath and Beyond, 4816 N. University St.
• Peru: Former Goodwill, 1649 38th St.
• Quincy: Former Petco, 405 N. 32nd St.
• Rockford: Former Party City, 5836 E. State St.
• Round Lake Beach: Former Joann Fabrics, 845 E. Rollins Road
• Shorewood: Former Party City, 988 Brook Forest Ave.
• Skokie: Former Forever 21, 4999 Old Orchard Center
• South Barrington: Former Charming Charlie, 100 W. Higgins Road
• Springfield: Former Big Lots, 2701 Veterans Parkway
• Vernon Hills: Former Joann Fabrics, 413 N. Milwaukee Ave.
• Wheaton: Former Joann Fabrics, 36 Danada Square West