Backyard Store To Offer Expanded Halloween Assortment

18-Aug-2011

Newsday 8/18/2011
By Keiko Morris

The Fortunoff Backyard Store chain plans on going over the top for Halloween.

The Garden City-based company will transform four of its 10 locations into elaborate “Halloween emporiums,” with more than 1,000 costumes, more than 200 wigs and 200 mannequins on display throughout October, said the retail chain. It will continue to sell grills and outdoor furniture during this period.

The store in Westbury as well as locations in Yonkers, Paramus and Totowa were chosen to become extravagant Halloween shops.

“It’s a big and trending business and something we thought we could do well and do it in a way that would be consistent with the Fortunoff brand,” said chief executive Bernie Sensale. “I think the customer that walks into the stores will see that this is Halloween like they’ve never seen it before.”

In addition to the mannequins, the stores will have a “costume alley” lined with hundreds of costumes available in the stores and feature a makeup artist on Saturdays to help customers enhance their Halloween characters.

Zombies, costumes that light up or are reversible as well as animals are expected to be popular, the company said.

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