Temporary Tenant Opening At Former Toys R Us In West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — As summer winds down, some may be looking forward to the fall season and already prepping for Halloween. If you're one of those people, you're in luck. Spirit Halloween, a temporary pop-up Halloween store chain, will be opening at the former Toys R Us in West Hartford, located at 1471 New Britain Avenue.

The store is opening soon, according to the company’s website. When it opens, the hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

After Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores closed for good in June, many have been wondering what will permanently fill their vacancies. To sign up for West Hartford breaking news alerts and more, click here.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, there are indications that Hobby Lobby is a big player in the game. Burlington Stores Inc. and TJX Co., which owns stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods, are also among the retailers expected to take over those empty stores.

Conor Flynn, CEO of Kimco Realty Corporation, said at a consumer conference in June that many of the larger big-box storefronts will be taken up by Hobby Lobby, according to the Journal. Kimco has interests in about 475 shopping centers. According to the Journal, Flynn said off-price retailers, fitness centers and specialty grocers are likely to go after the Toys R' Us stores that are about 35,000 square feet each.

The smaller stores, that are 20,000-25,000 square feet, are more suited for retailers like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, Flynn said, per the Journal.

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With reporting by Kara Seymour, Patch National Staff