59 Washington St., A Pop-Up Halloween Retailer

The retail space at 59 Washington Street, formerly occupied by Barnes & Noble, has been sitting vacant since the end of April, when the bookselling giant packed up and moved out. Since then, Washington-Hudson Associates, the building's owner, has been unable to secure a new long-term tenant and the venue has been the subject of much conjecture.

Allow that conjecture to take a respite for the next six weeks or so while seasonal retailer Spirit Halloween takes over the nearly 10,000-square-foot space. Spokespersons for both the new tenant and the building's owner confirmed a deal between the two parties that was reached late yesterday afternoon.

Aside from having to search for a tenant in one of the worst real estate markets in recent memory, Washington-Hudson has faced other challenges in filling the space. The portion of the building vacated by Barnes & Noble is one of the largest retail spaces on Washington Street, so national or regional businesses are the primary contenders for the spot; hence the rumors about IHOP, Olive Garden, Marshalls, and others moving in.

Complicating the search is Hoboken's 500-foot rule, which prohibits new establishments that would like to serve alcohol from setting up shop within a 500-foot range of a business that already does. This became law in 1991, and established bars and restaurants were grandfathered in. An exception was also made for waterfront businesses one year later. But, in this case, due to 59 Washington's proximity to Room 84, the ordinance rules out so-called full-service chain restaurants like T.G.I. Friday's and Applebee's and bars or nightclubs.

So that makes an operation like Spirit Halloween the perfect tenant, for the time being. A division of Spencer Gifts, Spirit Halloween is part of a trend known as "pop-up retail," or businesses that are open for only a short period.

Indeed, the store is set to pop up on or about September 22 and will be gone less than two months later. Per the lease Spirit Halloween signed with Washington-Hudson, the costume store will close its doors on Nov. 1 and will have until Nov. 12 to vacate the premises completely. Both Washington-Hudson and Spirit Halloween declined to comment on the monetary terms of the lease.

According to the company's spokesperson Sushma Dwivedi, Spirit Halloween is in the process of opening 850 stores nationwide this season, including 34 other locations in New Jersey, all of which will be open for roughly six weeks. Dwivedi said that the company scopes out real estate vacated by companies that have gone out of business altogether or in a particular locale. She said that last year, Spirit Halloween moved into many stores previously occupied by Circuit City and the former Clifton-based Linens 'n Things, both of which had gone bankrupt and out of business in the past year or two.

She said 59 Washington Street had been on the company's radar since Barnes & Noble left at the end of March.

Spirit Halloween launched in 1983, and Dwivedi said its buying team literally scours the earth looking for the trendiest costumes each year to sell alongside its stock of Halloween classics, like the French Maid and Dracula. Dwivedi said Hobokenites can expect "the widest selection of merchandising you'll find" and added that the Hoboken location, due to its size, should be a fun place for Halloween geeks to hang out.

She said the company prides itself on stores that provide customers a memorable and often theatrical experience, in addition to a vast selection of costumes, of course. The Hoboken store will feature a number of interactive amusements, including a zombie playground that parodies the old Cabbage Patch Kid tradition and will entice Halloween enthusiasts (not to mention the truly morbid) to purchase baby zombies that come complete with death certificates.

"You walk into a Spirit Halloween store and you're guaranteed a great experience," said Dwivedi.

Hoboken has no shortage of Halloween events that call for dressing up in costume. According to Cultural Affairs Director Geri Fallo, there's the annual Ragamuffin Parade beginning at 1 p.m. on Oct. 31. The parade will be followed by a costume contest at the Little League field, at which a panel of judges will award children in five different age groups prizes for the best and most original attire.

New this year is the HoBOOken 5K and Scary Scurry Kids' Run, which will take place on Oct. 30 and is presented by the Hoboken Elysianettes Running Society. The 5K will raise funds for Project Play, an initiative to renovate playground areas in Church Square Park. In addition, numerous bars and house parties around the Mile Square will offer Halloween revelers the opportunity to don their scariest and funniest disguises.

And while the costume superstore sets up shop and displays its Halloween wares for the next six weeks, the building's owner will continue searching for a regular tenant.

"The search for a long-term tenant is ongoing," said a Washington-Hudson representative who asked not to be named, adding that all the talk of other businesses vying for 59 Washington Street is nothing more than gossip.