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Raven Top Hat $44.95.
My former staff wouldn't be too happy to hear I would have wanted us
all to wear these, they are fantastic! -and so many uses. Not just to
wear but also for a mannequin or hat stand centerpiece. |
September means Fall is near which also means most retailers are in full-blown Halloween regalia. For six seasons Curious Sofa was decked out this time of year, from top to bottom in whatever clever theme or vignette I could dream up, but now its time to come clean. I have a serious confession to make:
I hate Halloween. There, I said it. Many fans will read this aghast- but its true.
So why did I celebrate Halloween all those years inside my store? Why did I pull out the stops; hang cheesecloth wrapped chandeliers, secure giant spiders on the wall, pin striped witch stockings from black umbrellas, and skeleton heads to mannequins wearing antique bridal gowns? Why did I paint a giant tree on the wall to secure dozens of crows? Why did I paint a doll house green and sit it on top of more striped legs?
Because it was drama! Because it was a show. Because customers wanted, needed and expected it. And I was a retailer with a big store smack dab in the middle of a family neighborhood who celebrated Halloween. Now I know "hate" is a strong word so don't get me wrong because my other confession is I did have fun with it most of the time because it stretched my creative thinking.
Every year I tried something different with my three guidelines still in tow:
- Color palette:
no orange, no purple! I would not use orange unless it was a darker, dustier version usually found only in fresh pumpkins.
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No cute Halloween. I used to tell editors, "I don't do Halloween with skinny little pumpkin people."
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No Devils. (After all, what holiday do you think he celebrates?)
I prefer dramatic Halloween, antique Halloween, a dark, dusty, gothic Halloween and a clever Halloween. Truth is, I love doing a fall display but one using burlap, wheat and corn stalks, pumpkins, wheel barrows, etc. (Not a bewitching item in sight!). One of my favorites from the store was using hay bales around a dining room table with American flags, turkeys and pictures of George Washington and Abe Lincoln.
Last year on the website I offered much more Halloween items and many sold well but I found it challenging to showcase these items without a dramatic display. So this year, I have cut back and left Halloween to the brick & mortar stores where it belongs. But I could not pass up these items below because they were just right for the web. Enjoy!
| AND BELOW, MORE NEW ITEMS JUST IN |
