N. Mankato Warehouse Holds Largest Online Retail Center For Halloween Costumes
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The largest online retailer for Halloween costumes has nothing to do with Amazon or Minneapolis-based Target. It exists, rather, in a North Mankato warehouse and has a momentum as appropriate as its name: HalloweenCostumes.com.
President and CEO Tom Fallenstein predicts HalloweenCostumes.com will do close to 90 million dollars in online sales in 2018.
"We'll ship out over one million packages," said Fallenstein, who started the business from his college closet in 2001. "Peak day will be about 50,000 packages."
His website has roughly 10,000 different choices, whereas his two storefront locations in Minnetonka and Brooklyn Park have 1,000 to 2,000 options.
Fallenstein told WCCO his best sellers this season include "Black Panther" and ringmasters from "The Greatest Showman," but he usually counts on the classics to make up the bulk of his sales: superheroes, "Star Wars," and pumpkins.
One thing that changes through the years: price. Analysts predict the average consumer will spend almost $87 on Halloween in 2018, which roughly matches 2017 as the highest ever.
"Sometimes you need something… you know you're only going to wear this for an hour, or my kid is only going to wear this for an hour. But something like an "Incredibles" or "Black Panther," that kid might wear it over and over again, so you do want a little bit of a better quality because it's not just a one-time wear, because it's really like a dress-up product for them," said Fallenstein.