KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Over the last 40 years, Spirit Halloween has served as a haunted haven for shoppers and eager trick-or-treaters hoping to win their yearly Halloween costume contests and secure the bag (of candy).

The stores have always stayed the same: costume replicas of famous characters, itchy and synthetic wigs, scary decor, and some downright disturbing adult accessories.

But what hasn’t stayed the same are the stores themselves.

You may or may not have noticed over the years, but Spirit Halloween rarely stays in the same place for too long. The franchise’s locations widely vary year-to-year, popping up in different vacant commercial real estate properties one fall, and moving on to a completely different property the next.

This begs many to ask the question, “What was that building before it became a Spirit Halloween?”

Well, here’s what we found in the Kansas City metro:

KANSAS

1. 6753 Johnson Dr. Mission, KS 66202

• According to Google Street View in September 2022, this location in Mission, Kansas was a SuperKidz Club — a large indoor playground that hosts birthday parties, school field trips, programs and other activities for young kids throughout the metro.
• The business moved locations and can now be found at 12219 Shawnee Mission Pkwy, Shawnee, KS 66216.

2. 9606 Nall Ave. Overland Park, KS 66207

• This location in the Nall Hills Shopping Center was home to a discounted decor and furniture store, Tuesday Morning, before being turned into a Spirit Halloween.
• The national retailer announced it was going out of business after filing for bankruptcy in 2023.
• Although the store is closed, products can still be purchased online at TuesdayMorning.com .

3. 9218 Marshall Dr. Lenexa, KS 66215

• The location at 9218 Marshall Dr. was originally a Kansas City Piano store. The business opened its doors at the area shopping mall in 2018 and was a showroom for several grand and electric pianos.
• Kansas City Piano moved to Overland Park in 2021 , and now is home to a grand recital hall, several notable teachers and even more pianos in its showroom.

4. 11970 Metcalf Ave. Overland Park, KS 66213

• Located at the Overland Crossing, this Metro Spirit Halloween was once a Mattress Firm, according to Yelp .
• Although the mattress retailer is no longer at this location, don’t worry, because another one can be found directly across the parking lot at its new location: 11930 Metcalf Ave .

5. 15400 Shawnee Mission Pkwy. Shawnee, KS 66217

• Prior to becoming a Spirit Halloween, this Mission Parkway location was originally a Bed Bath and Beyond.
• After 52 years of being a go-to home goods warehouse where people could get specialty items, Bed Bath and Beyond filed for bankruptcy in April 2023 after experiencing years of lost revenue.

6. 2011 E Santa Fe St. Olathe, KS 66062

• At some point in its life, the vacant building at 2011 E Santa Fe St. was a local CVS pharmacy for the residents of Olathe. Now, it sits as an empty lot until Spirit Halloween’s pop-up storefront plasters the front with its bright orange sign.
• There is no record/reason why the CVS location moved, but the new location at 1075 W. Santa Fe St. is less than three miles down the road. There are now three other pharmacies in the City of Olathe.

MISSOURI

7. 901 W 136th St. Kansas City, MO 64145

• As of 2019 on Google Street View, this KCMO business, located in the State Line Station shopping mall, was originally a Marshalls.
• It is unknown why the Marshalls closed, but the closest location can now be found in Belton, Missouri.

8. 501a NW Barry Rd. Kansas City, MO 64155

• This location does not have any identifiable recent tenants, according to property records and a real estate service that has continued to advertise its vacancy.

9. 8550 N Flintlock Rd. Kansas City, MO 64157

• Prior to becoming a Spirit Halloween, the vacant building on 8550 N Flintlock Rd. was home to Lukas Wine & Spirits Superstore.
• Lukas Wine & Spirits was one of the biggest liquor stores in the Metro when it first opened in 1995. Now, all of its locations are gone in Kansas City and have been replaced with other liquor and wine retailers.

10. 18777 E 39th St. Independence, MO 64057

• The most recent business listed at this address was Sears at the Independence Center.
• Sears filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on Oct. 15, 2018, causing the department chain to go from 700 locations across the U.S. to less than two dozen reported in 2022 .

11. 901 NW O’Brien Rd., Lee’s Summit, MO 64081

• The location at 901 NW O’Brien Rd. was also a Tuesday Morning and can still be seen on Google Street View as early as June 2022.
• As previously stated, the national retailer announced it was going out of business after filing for bankruptcy in 2023.
• Although the store is closed, products can still be purchased online at TuesdayMorning.com .

12. 164 Cedar Tree Sq, Belton, MO 64012

• Before becoming Sprirt Halloween, 164 Cedar Tree was a branch of the Belton branch of the Cass County Public Library.
• Now, the new branch can be found at 1741 E North Ave. , where it is now referred to as “Cass County Public Library Northern Resource Center.”

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