Dubuque Will Be Without a Spooky Staple This Halloween Season

Dubuque will be without a popular Halloween establishment this year, as confirmed by the store's district manager on a popular Tri-States-centric Facebook group this week.

For many of us October/Halloween fans, spooky season affords us a time to shop for the latest in creepy décor. Beyond that, sometimes it's just fun to roam around the neighborhood or stop at various places to see all their Halloween knick-knacks on display. However, one beacon of spookiness will be absent from one of the most bustling shopping plazas in Dubuque this year.

Jessica Boren, the district manager for the Spirit Halloween in Dubuque, confirmed via the Voices from the Tri-States Facebook page that the eminently popular store, which sells everything from costumes to props and giant inflatables, will not return for the 2024 fall season:

As your Dubuque Spirit Halloween Manager, I wanted to let you know that I was officially told by my District Manager that we will not be back this year. Contracts fell through due to pending contracts with permanent stores.

 

Hopefully we will be back next year so we can honor our past manager who was killed this summer. - Jessica Boren, per a post on the Voices from the Tri-States Facebook page

Spirit Halloween in Dubuque has long been located at 2485 NW Arterial, inside the Asbury Plaza shopping center. However, this past spring, the otherwise unoccupied storefront is now home to Rally House. Rally House is a "specialty sports store" that offers an expansive selection of apparel, gifts, home décor, and other varieties of licensed merchandise.

Per Boren's Facebook post, it sounds as if the chain-store's attempts at securing a temporary lease on another storefront fell-through. With no home, Spirit Halloween obviously cannot reside in Dubuque this spooky season.

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That leaves the closest Spirit Halloween location for Tri-Staters in Davenport, at 1010 E Kimberly Road, Suite D. Dubuquers seeking a costume will either have to make the trek to the Quad Cities, or look at other department stores for their Halloween needs.

This is bitterly disappointing news for those of us who love browsing the creepy, labyrinth-like aisles of Spirit Halloween. There's always next Halloween, but it's hard not to feel the hole left in (what I say is) the best time of the year.