Do you remember the Joann Fabric on East Colonial Drive? What about the CVS down the road on West Colonial Drive? Those retail spaces have something in common — they’re getting dressed up as Spirit Halloween stores.

The seasonal chain has converted over a dozen vacant retail spaces in the Orlando metro area into Spirit Halloween stores, including:

3564 E. Colonial Dr., Orlando — formerly Joann Fabric
7665 W. Colonial Dr., Ocoee — formerly CVS
1440 N. Alafaya Trail, Orlando — formerly Party City
775 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Apopka — formerly Big Lots
1360 Oviedo Mall Blvd., Oviedo — formerly Sears
3210 N. John Young Parkway, Kissimmee (coming soon) — formerly Pier 1

Spirits’ lore

Let’s pull the mask off and learn more. Spirit Halloween finds temporary leases and moves into retail spaces that would otherwise be vacant. This is why there are so many — to the point it’s become a meme — and they might be in different locations next year. Did you know? The chain is owned by Spencer Gifts LLC, you know, that quirky novelty store from the mall.

Local shops

Prefer to shop local? There are many stores with a scary selection of new and pre-owned clothing that can help you create a Halloween costume (or dress you up any day of the year). We suggest:

Embellish FX in Ocoee
Orlando Vintage Clothing + Costume in Winter Park
Dechoes Resale

We also recommend checking out the Milk Mart Spooky Soirée, with hundreds of vendors on Sunday, Oct. 5, 12-6 p.m.