For retailers, Halloween is a pulse-pounding, spine-tingling thrill ride. In theory, the result is a sack full of loot. Navigating how buyer tastes might change each year, however, can be tricky.

In the spirit of “there’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s,” here’s a look at how two different Wilmington businesses carve out their portion of the multibillion-dollar industry.

Some retailers have taken advantage of what appears to be a penchant for costumes beyond the official Halloween. Was it a trend that reoccurred, or has it become a bona fide tradition?

Now that the real Halloween is upon us, like Freddy Krueger’s red- and green-striped sweater, ask Halloween365 owner Charlene Cliborne if she thinks “Summerween” has legs. She’ll tell you it does – spindly ones that will keep coming after you.

“It’s a real thing,” Cliborne said. “People love Halloween so much, they’re starting to celebrate the day after the Fourth of July. They have neon pink skeletons floating in their pools.”

Fortunately for horror fanatics, whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, you’ve got a fiend at 420 S. College Road.

Cliborne said that while she expects a less scary assortment of superheroes, princesses and anime characters at the end of this month, clients call on her year-round to make sure their pirate-themed parties have panache – after all, this is the Cape Fear region –  and that their plays, films, dance recitals and cosplay conventions all have real character.

The chart for U.S. Halloween spending year after year looks a lot like the arm of a skeleton reaching upward out of the grave. The National Retail Federation estimated last year’s frenzy at around $12 billion.Cliborne said her sales “consistently stay strong across the board,” although the pandemic provided a dip “until customers realized it was safe once again to come out after COVID.”

She said her store keeps hundreds of costume options in constant stock with the focus on quality, including hard-to-find makeup.

In that regard, she doesn’t see competition, she said.

“We’re locally owned, so we can choose what we sell,” Cliborne said. “We have a great product, and we strive for perfection in customer service.”

She stressed the value of stores like hers. Halloween365 has been around for more than two decades, keeping tax dollars within the community, she said.

“If your kid has to do a book report and dress like Abe Lincoln, we’re there for you,” she said.

By the end of December, her costume kits that have a missing piece and can’t be sold, but are otherwise just fine, find their way to the local high school theater wardrobe room.

For other Halloween-geared businesses, each year is like the sequel to a successful horror film franchise. It’s the same basic formula, but always with a few surprises.

Matt Wright is the owner of Halloween Express Wilmington, leaping out at customers this go-around at 3501-17A Oleander Drive in Hanover Center.

“This year we’re in the old Omega Sports building,” Wright said. “We’re going to have the benefit of 46,000-48,000 cars passing a day. But it’s seasonal, so in two months we’ll be back out of here.”

Wright is a Halloween Express licensee. He and his partner pay a royalty back to the company after all the fun is done. They’re shooting to have four stores in addition to Wilmington by next Halloween.

Even though he expects strong sales of costumes based on the younger-kids franchise Lilo & Stitch and the tween fantasy Descendants: The Rise of Red, Wright said it’s a mistake to assume that children are the ones driving Halloween these days.

“Believe it or not, it’s the complete opposite,” he said. “Every year, we get more and more adults. And it’s not just sexy costumes. We’ve seen a change in types of costumes in the last eight to 10 years as adults have shifted over to more fun, conservative stuff.”

That’s right, Mom and Dad will be out with their friends in their Squid Game or Scooby-Doo outfits.

An old hand at Halloween shops, Wright formerly ran stores for the Spirit Halloween franchise. This year’s Wilmington location of Spirit Halloween is at 412 S. College Road in Sam’s Club-anchored shopping complex University Centre.

Wright stepped back from all things All Hallows’ Eve and started other businesses before deciding that he wasn’t spooked from the fright night industry. In addition to Wilmington, he launched the Goldsboro location of Halloween Express.

He encouraged former customers of the dearly departed Party City to seek out his store for deep bargains. His company purchased its local Halloween stock.

Wright said, “We bought them out at a low price so we can pass the savings on to our customers.”