Halloween Section

Scaring Up Sales (From page 105)

advance.”

And unlike 2020, when Marvel characters like Harley Quinn were the hot items, this year Piñata Party did a brisk business in witches, zombies and skeletons. “People wanted the classics,” Justo Trinidad reflected. To keep sales strong, the family has stepped up its social media game, posting pictures of its wares on Facebook and Instagram rather than relying on foot traffic.

Sales were way down at Casa de Piñata in Albuquerque, as inflation drove up the cost of materials and

Rodriguez explained how the fragile economics of a small artisan business can collapse under the strain of inflation. “Tissue paper comes from wood, and the price of wood has soared, so something that used to be $20 now costs $60 to $70,” he explained. “Each pinata takes me three and half hours to construct. Imagine if I work 12 hours, how much I can actually make.” customers thought twice about spending. “This year was terrible. I sold less than I did in 2019, maybe a quarter of my usual sales,” lamented Owner Francisco Rodriguez .

For now, orders from loyal customers are keeping Rodriguez’s longtime business afloat. But if business doesn’t pick up, he’s thinking about closing for good. “I’m taking it one day at a time,” the retailer said.

- Abigail Burns, The Party Station, Grove, Okla., commenting on big business for spider web decorations in 2021.

Interviewed in mid-December, Francisco said his last good day had been Halloween, despite when he sold three Frankenstein, three Dracula, and a half a dozen each witch and pumpkin piñatas. One very popular model this year — and not just for Halloween — has been the COVID piñata, which lets partygoers take out their pandemic frustrations on the notorious viral spikes.

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To stay relevant, many party stores have found that social media is essential. “People like to look online before they go shopping in person,” pointed out Abigail Burns , a manager and the balloon designer at The Party Station in Grove, Okla. Burns, Manager Samantha Dodson and Owner Sharie Cox promote the store’s creative balloon art through videos and pictures on Facebook and Google.

This year, Burns handled numerous orders for Halloween balloon garlands, and spider web decorations were “huge,” she recalled. “Since some stores didn’t have spider webs, a lot of people were out trying to find them.”

The Party Station, like other stores, sold a lot of costumes and merchandise related to witches and pirates. Power Rangers were popular for children, and clowns made a comeback, with people of all ages buying outfits for clown parties.

“These things go in cycles,” Burns observed. “You have to keep an eye on movies and popular culture throughout the year. It’s hard to know exactly what’s going to come and go.” ❖