Spirit Halloween has secured a seasonal lease for approximately 10,000 square feet at 55 Riverside Ave. in Medford, MA, taking over a retail space formerly occupied by a CVS. The transaction was completed with The Hamilton Company, which controls the property and arranged the short-term occupancy for the Halloween retailer. The deal underscores the continued use of second-generation retail space for time-limited, event-driven concepts.
The new Medford location is part of Spirit Halloween’s broader rollout for the upcoming season. According to the company, it expects to open more than 1,550 seasonal stores across strip malls and shopping centers throughout North America this year. The network of temporary locations typically operates in the months leading up to Halloween, allowing landlords to capture incremental income and activity in otherwise dark or transitional spaces.
Jameson Brown, chairman and CEO of The Hamilton Company, characterized the lease as a positive addition to the property. Brown noted that the team is “excited to have Spirit Halloween in our building in Medford” and highlighted the retailer’s track record over more than four decades as a leading Halloween-focused chain. The placement of Spirit Halloween in a former CVS space illustrates how owners can backfill large-format boxes with seasonal tenants as they evaluate longer-term strategies for the asset.
On the tenant side, Spirit Halloween was represented in leasing negotiations by its in-house counsel. This direct representation structure is common for large seasonal or national retailers that manage their own real estate activities across multiple markets. The arrangement allowed the retailer to work directly with ownership to finalize terms for occupancy at 55 Riverside Ave. for the upcoming Halloween season.
The Hamilton Company was represented in the transaction by Carol Rash, the firm’s Director of Commercial Property & Asset Management. Rash emphasized that seasonal or “pop-up” retailers are expanding both revenue and market presence at a significant pace each year. She described Spirit Halloween as a category leader within the seasonal retail segment and expressed satisfaction with the brand’s decision to occupy the Medford address.
Rash also pointed to the broader trend of short-term retail activations within existing centers. For owners of strip malls and shopping centers, this type of lease can generate traffic and interim cash flow while maintaining flexibility for future re-tenanting. Spirit Halloween’s move into 55 Riverside Ave. aligns with that strategy, putting a nationally recognized brand into a former pharmacy space for the duration of the Halloween season while preserving options for the landlord once the pop-up term concludes.
