It’s officially October, marking the crucial window in which Spirit Halloween stores start spawning in empty buildings across the country. In Chapel Hill, sources report that a Spirit Halloween has appeared in the now-vacant ATO house on Franklin Street.
After its grand opening on Wednesday, customers could enter the store and look through thousands of different costumes, most of which were eerily reminiscent of the house’s former tenants.
One notable in-store costume portrays a Wolf of Wall Street-esque costume, a sort of business tycoon prone to financial dishonesty and mishandling of funds. Another fun costume consists of khaki pants, a Carolina blue polo, and the urge to call women “Mama,” simply but poetically labeled “Brother.” There’s even a costume called “The Underage Drinker,” whose hobbies are using various illicit drugs, participating in illegal alcohol-related activities and enduring rampant hazing.
The Oh Well reporters spoke with the Spirit Halloween brokers who located ATO’s former house and ultimately decided to go through with the short-term lease.
“We wanted to take over a space that just feels off when you step inside. We really loved the gothic architecture as well as the spooky, illegal activity that seemed to emanate from the brick. Just a real scary place,” one broker said.
Another broker said, “We also really loved the basement. We’re not sure exactly what went on down there, but our guts told us it was the perfect spot for overpriced sexy firefighter costumes.”
This pop-up store also features a variety of Halloween props and decorations perfect for making your house a little more festive—a spooky Chad animatronic that likes to ghost women, ripped up couches that have seen almost everything, a fog machine that produces clouds of protein powder, empty beer cans haunted by the mono-ridden lips that once drank out of them, and a table that can be used for both pong and die (as in death, not the cube game).
So why not visit the new local Spirit Halloween? They pledge that there’s something there for everyone.








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