Do All Closed Businesses in SF Resurrect as Halloween Superstores?

It's always around mid-September when almost every vacant out-of-business locale becomes a Halloween superstore. What a sad sign of our recession.
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It's always around mid-September when almost every vacant out-of-business locale becomes a Halloween superstore. What a sad sign of our recession when overnight dozens and dozens of Halloween superstores momentarily pop up. Much like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight, these costume emporiums mysteriously vanish once the clock turns November 1st. It's a sad sign of the recession when more and more fly-by-night Halloween superstore pop up to fill failed businesses in empty shells of long-term for-lease buildings.

As predictable as a quality car insurance quote, the temporary Halloween superstore points to which businesses were the casualties of the year's economic downturn. Here's a few depressing examples. Remember when DVDs were all the rage? Yes, before Netflix allowed you to instantly stream movies, SF citizens had to actually leave their homes and rent the latest releases. (Crazy, huh?) Blockbuster had a huge space to facilitate this at 160 Market Street. Guess what? It's now resurrected as Halloween City. Once November rolls around it will go back to being large-empty-for-lease-space.

Site For Sore Eyes (901 Market Street) used to cater to San Francisco's glasses-needing population. But even the cutesy spelling of the store's name couldn't keep it afloat; the space has now reinvented itself as Spirit Halloween superstore. Now, the only eyewear found at this location will be eye-patches for that exciting pirate costume -- until November rolls around. Aaaargh.

Circuit City (1200 Van Ness) used to sell the hottest in electronics, DVDs, and appliances. Then the recession hit. Guess what the space is now? Car insurance? The new location of Borders Books? Uh-uh. It's the second city location for Spirit Halloween superstore.

Will this abandoned custom countertop business become a Halloween superstore by the 1st of October? Perhaps way to help San Francisco's downturn economy is to have Halloween all year round? Are you listening Mayor Edwin M. Lee?

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