THAT'S THE SPIRIT!

Walk into Marion's Spirit Halloween store located in the former Toys 'R' Us building, just south of the Illinois Star Centre Mall, and you're greeted with "Hi, welcome to Spirit!" by every employee who happens to see you walk in.

It quickly becomes apparent that they're happy to see you and their goal is to make shopping there a positive experience.

Store manager Chelsea Akers said as much.

"We try to welcome everyone who shops here with a greeting and a smile. Halloween is a fun time of the year for most people, and we want to make sure that our customers have a happy experience while they're in here," she said.

Akers said that the Marion store is the only location in Southern Illinois

"We did have our store in Carbondale, but when this building opened up, we decided to move it (the business) over here."

As store manager, Akers is responsible for 25 employees and making sure workers create that fun atmosphere for their customers.

"This is my first experience working a holiday-specific store and I'm loving every minute of it. I can't believe I smile so much while working. I've never had this much fun at a job before!"

For shoppers like Tim and Jennifer Paschal of Energy, the store offers just what they're looking for as they make plans for a Halloween party with friends at the end of the month.

Tim said, "I love their variety of face masks."

The Marion store opened in mid-September and will operate through the Halloween season, closing at the end of October or the first of November.

The Spirit store will remain open seven days a week until then.

What's a hot seller this Halloween?

Well, according to store employee Hannah Buchanan, "Mike Myers masks are big, big sellers and a lot of parents have been asking for Chucky for their kids."

What about requests for The Walking Dead costumes?

"Not so much." replied Buchanan.

Like many part-time employees, Buchanan is still going to school, studying at SIU-Carbondale - her major?

"I'm studying mortuary science. I'm going to be a mortician," she said.</group><group id="63323B16-3934-4914-A871-FCCC6F30F9E4" type="seoLabels"><seoLabels>