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Spirit Halloween will open in more than 50 former retail spaces in Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Columbus and the rest of Ohio.

Many of these locations were previously occupied by companies like Big Lots, JoAnn Fabrics, and JCPenney.

Most stores are expected to open in August, similar to previous years.

Some Big Lots and JoAnn Fabrics stores around Ohio will see new life, just not how you might think.

Spirit Halloween will occupy those spaces, along with some American Freight stores, which closed in 2024 , and some former JCPenney stores. The company is known for taking over abandoned storefronts during spooky season.

The New Jersey-based pop-up retailer has "more than 1,500 seasonal locations in strip centers and malls across North America," USA TODAY report

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