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    We are opening our first Haunt this year and would like to know if Malls are still a good idea or not?
    Thank you!

  • #2
    Hello!
    We started our haunted house in a building in an industrial area that was in a small boro but had a main road running through it. It did well our first year.
    We moved to the mall the next year (recommended by the building owner who moved his business out next to the mall and had massive jumps in profits.
    Well, we've been there ever since (past 4 years-first year was on one end of the mall and then 3 years in the same store on other end of the mall).
    But in our experience there are a lot of cons that go with the pros.

    Pros:
    Nice facility...up to code already...sprinklers...bathrooms...clean area...heated/air-conditioned...parking...security.

    Cons:
    Competition with other stores for your dollar...very safe/clinical/bright feel to it...people think it should be free...people think it is a 'kiddy haunt'...

    But the biggest problem we had and pretty much stayed due to lack of finding a suitable building for our budget was growth...no matter what we spent on advertising or how many events we did we drew the same amount of people for 4 years. We had no growth even though our exposure and marketing grew each year.

    I wouldn't recommend doing it in a mall...but that is just my opinion...from experience.

    Kirk
    Kirk Boemmel
    Dark Ghost Manor
    www.darkghostmanor.com

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    • #3
      I have had retail shops in a mall before and let me tell you, rent there is NOT CHEAP! I mean, sure, guys like Larry and them can afford that kind of rent, but they have the finances to build a homerun in a large store in the mall. The malls I have dealt with have been extremely heavy on their expectations, perhaps may be one reason why the newest mall has already been through 2 Directors and going through stores like crazy. We've had at least 3 major retailers come and go this year alone. A small 8x8 Kiosk during peak times in fall / winter can be as high at $4,000 /mo. Absolutely ridiculous.

      There's a toy store here that's paying $7,500 for a medium size corner spot.

      Me? In this area Arkansas / Mo area doing a haunt in a mall wouldn't be worth it, not at all, imo.

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      • #4
        Really, it depends on the price and the mall. I know of a local mall that offered rent for over a 10,000 square foot location for under $300 a month-- but that Mall was on life support and the lease could end at any moment. Still, it made a lot of sense for a haunt, because it was near the highway, middle of town, and very easy to find. A lot of folks find their haunts on the internet, so the fact they didn't see it driving by wasn't such a deal killer. Once they read it was at the mall via the website, everyone knew exactly where it was.

        Sadly, that same mall closed them down in August/ September, just a month before the season, but that was AFTER letting them stay there for over three years. So overall, it was a really good run. They managed to move and open in spite of their ridiculous last minute eviction.

        But to address your question directly, is your mall near your demographic? The schools you want or the audience you desire? What are the other options and what is their price? Having those fire sprinklers already up and running is a major benefit around here. Trying to do it yourself starts at $35,000.00 to $65,000 (because you can't really do it yourself, it HAS to be installed by a contractor with all the certifications, and they aren't cheap.) That's a mighty big upfront cost, considering it doesn't provide a single prop or scene for your haunt. All of THAT is extra!
        www.TerrorOfTallahassee.com

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        • #5
          +1 on the quote. The ONLY thing they MAY let you get by with is if you rent a building that already has the sprinklers in it, or buy a mobile event that has them built already. Otherwise if they see you have to have them installed, they HAVE to see the contractor designs and all that. We priced one for a friend and it was an 8,000 ft building and had a drop ceiling that we offered to take out for them. It was $32,000 plus whatever the cost was to bring the 8"? pipe across the street (street had to be punched and relaid, couldn't drill through the ground) in order to get the flow / pressure requirements.

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