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Community Highlights: Meet Tim OBrien of Screamers Costumes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim OBrien. 

Hi Tim, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We started as a tiny little store on 8 Mile Road in Detroit, Michigan. In 1968 It was Called Holliday Giftland and sold used books. The original owner’s name was Alfonso Saputo “AL“ Al ran the business as a book store for a couple years, then once the 70s hit Halloween started to get very popular. Al began to sell Halloween merchandise as well as Wedding supplies and baby shower supplies. By the time I started coming around it was 1976, I was 8 years old. I loved this store, the smell of face paint and latex I still today can remember to this day. At about 10 years old, I would run simple errands for AL. I would stop in daily, I’m not sure if I was a pest or not, but I would soon be working at the store around 14 years of age. Surprising enough, there was a Wig shop directly next to Holliday Giftland that also sold Halloween merchandise! The two stores both side by side ran this way for 30 years! Al retired in 1998, that’s when I bought the store. I moved the store from 8 mile to Eastpointe, or then it was called East Detroit Gratiot, and 9 mile the very next year into a larger space. The new store name would be Holliday Giftlands Screamers, then soon after Screamers Costumes. The store stayed in Eastpointe for 10 years. We then moved again to a much larger space 5000 sq feet with better parking on Gratiot and 15 mile in Clinton Township. We now have expanded and doubled in size to 10000 sq feet. Halloween is every day at SCREAMERS, Halloween all year long! We have become a destination in Michigan, people love Halloween, and no one does it better. Al would be so proud of what his tiny little store has morphed into a Monster called SCREAMERS 🎃 Happy Halloween 🎃 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Always struggles, money or lack of, workers, business can be awesome but also very difficult at times 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Screamers Costumes?
Screamers is well known for our HUGE Halloween and Horror selection 🎃 It’s Halloween Every day at Screamers 🎃 Brand New Web site www.screamerscostumes.com Open every day 🎃 All things Horror and Halloween 🎃 Huge Halloween Masks selection 🎃 Professional store workers, makeup experts, no one does Halloween like Screamers 🎃 

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Skip the mentor, go with your OWN gut, you won’t be disappointed. 

Contact Info:

  • Website: www.screamerscostumes.com
  • Instagram: screamers_costumes
  • Facebook: Screamers Costumes
  • Twitter: Screamers Costumes @kozplaycostumes
  • Youtube: Screamers Costumes

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