Spirit Halloween is open in Woodbridge. The orange banners are up at 2500 Prince William Parkway, in the building that until recently housed Value City Furniture, and the doors are already swinging.
The seasonal costume and decor retailer is in the middle of its annual late-summer rollout across the Washington region, with more than 20 stores slated to open across the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia by the end of August. Two more are opening near Prince William County this month.
These are pop-up stores, not permanent ones. They run on short-term seasonal leases and clear out in the first week of November, so anything you are planning to buy there is worth buying while the doors are open.
Photo: Woodbridge Gazette. Inside the new Spirit Halloween in Woodbridge.
Where to find Spirit Halloween near Prince William County
● Woodbridge — 2500 Prince William Parkway, in the former Value City Furniture. Open now. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
● Manassas Mall — 8358 Sudley Road, in the former At Home. Listed as opening in August.
● Alexandria, Engleside Plaza — 8640 U.S. 1, in the former Black Friday store. Listed as opening in August, and the closest option for readers in Lorton and eastern Woodbridge.
The part most shoppers do not know about
Spirit Halloween runs a philanthropic program called Spirit of Children, founded in 2006, with in-store fundraising beginning the following year. Every store raises money for the children’s hospital closest to it, and 100 percent of what is raised goes directly to that hospital’s Child Life department — the staff and programs that help kids cope with being in a hospital. Donations stay in the local community. The money funds playrooms and family spaces, and pays for art, music and pet therapy, sensory equipment and distraction toys.
Nationally, Spirit says the program has raised more than $164 million to date and now supports Child Life departments at 162 pediatric hospitals across North America. Donations at the register are where that money comes from.
A bigger company than it was last year
Spirit Halloween operates more than 1,500 stores across the United States and Canada, making it the largest Halloween retailer in North America. Its parent company, Spencer Spirit Holdings, has announced it is acquiring Hot Topic, Inc., bringing Hot Topic, BoxLunch and Her Universe under the same corporate umbrella — a combined footprint of more than 3,000 stores in North America.
That matters locally because Potomac Mills and Manassas Mall both host brands in that portfolio. Consolidation at the corporate level eventually shows up as decisions about which individual stores stay open.
Photo: Tadas Petrokas / Unsplash.
If you are going
Spirit Halloween stores typically stay open through the first few days of November. Costume inventory in popular sizes thins out in the last two weeks of October, so anyone hunting a specific licensed costume is better served shopping in September than waiting.
The Woodbridge store is laid out by category, which makes it easier to shop with kids in tow than the size of the space suggests. Costumes are grouped for adults, children and pets, with a separate wall for masks, wigs, makeup and accessories, and racks of apparel, tees and collectibles toward the back.
Officially licensed costumes are a large share of the floor. Expect Disney and Marvel, plus Harry Potter, Ghostbusters, SpongeBob SquarePants and Shrek, alongside horror titles like Terrifier and current pop-culture properties including K-Pop Demon Hunters. Licensed inventory is where the sellouts happen first, so if a specific character is the goal, go early.
The decor side runs from tabletop pieces and wall art to full-size animatronics with motion, sound and jump scares. For yards and porches, the store stocks tombstones and fencing, fog machines, hanging props and Halloween lighting — the pieces that do the most work on a front lawn for the least effort.
The store takes major credit cards along with Apple Pay and Google Pay and accepts Spirit of Children donations at the register.
The store is also hiring. Signs in the windows point applicants to Work4Spirit.com or to text the word REAPER to 85000. Seasonal positions run through the store’s closing in early November.
Find current hours and the nearest location on the Spirit Halloween store locator.
Read More
● New Businesses Across Prince William County: 2026 So Far — woodbridgegazette.com/p/new-businesses-across-prince-william-county-2026-so-far
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