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From WBEZ.

Hi, I'm WBEZ reporter Susie on.

It's that time of year in Chicago when we have to admit, summer is over, we finally moved on to fall.

Or is it more like winter already?

Well, one thing is certain, Halloween pop-up stores.

If you're like question asker and Halloween fan Rosemary on Guiano,

you've seen a number of these once vacant stores around town lately,

all decked out in black and orange decorations. And that got

Rosemary thinking. What's the business plan like behind those pop-up Halloween stores? They just seem

kind of, you know, mysterious in that way that they just all of a sudden pop up and then they're gone.

So what's up with these stores disappearing into thin air?

And how can a business make money if it's only open a couple months a year?

To answer that, I spoke to Cortland Hickey, General Manager for Chicago Costume Company.

His mom started the business back in the 70s, and they have two year-round permanent costume stores.

Demand is huge around Halloween, like $9 billion in sales nationally huge.

And pop-ups are all about getting a piece of that.

But that can be tricky.

It is a very delicate balance for a small business like ours.

The cost of doing business can be quite high here in Chicago, so we have to make very good and thought

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