I’m not sure where the phrase ‘Christmas in July’ came from but around here it’s ‘Halloween in July.’ If you’ve been reading this blog for the past few years, then you already know how we have to start extra early on some of the bigger projects. If you’re new here, well, we have to start extra early on some of the bigger projects. That is because many of them are time consuming or detailed and we can take advantage of the slower season (for visual merchandising team) to get a head start on them. Here are some examples of works in progress for this years display.

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We do a lot of repurposing of items. Our Creative Director, Eric Cortina, attends many auctions and scours Hollywood backlots (and sometimes alley ways) for items to be transformed into ghoulish creations. Here an ordinary cabinet is getting a facelift.

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Other projects are made from scratch after a trip to the local hardware store (our favorite toy store), such as this larger than life skeleton hand.

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Sometimes we find things in our own “backyard”, such as this tomato cage turned hoop skirt.

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And if we need something that isn’t readily available, we’ll paint it.

If you noticed that the work areas all seem to be outdoors, you would be correct. Needless to say, on really hot days there may not be as much going on. We tend to find areas out of the way to do our magic and use the tools available to move things around.

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Like an electric merchandise cart. This cabinet is already extra creepy with that guy inside! Oh, wait, that’s just Tony keeping it from falling off the cart.