They have only been here since Aug. 15, but Jenna Dawson and her sister, Shelly Dawson, are excited about Fayetteville’s newest premiere store, Halloween Express, and helping customers with their Halloween needs.
“We are a Halloween Superstore specializing in costumes, accessories, decorations, props and other items,” said Shelly Dawson, manager of Halloween Express.
The sisters are from Greenville, N. C., and heard that Fayetteville loved Halloween and would be the perfect location for a Halloween Express store.
“I have been working for Halloween Express for about eight years now and love it,” said Shelly Dawson. “I got my sister the job and she became manager and decided to open up her own Halloween Express.”
How is Halloween Express different or better than other similar stores in the area?
“We definitely have a large product assortment,” said Jenna Dawson, co-owner of Halloween Express. “Some of our competitors cater more towards decorations and accessories, but we have a larger product assortment and if we don’t have that costume we have something to put together to make it.”
Halloween has always been a favorite of the sisters and they put a lot of effort in making it fun for others.
“The people are great and the spirits are so high at Halloween,” said Shelly Dawson. “I love it and it is like Christmas because people are really excited about their costumes so when you help them it is satisfying.”
The Dawsons are supporting charities and participating in community events. They have worked with Kidsville News!, attended the fair and their most recent event is a Halloween fashion show through Find-A-Friend with a group of 20 students.
“We have also donated our items to a man who does a haunted attraction in his yard and the people who come will donate money and toys with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Shriner’s Hospital,” said Jenna Dawson. “We also sponsor other haunted attractions as well.”
The sisters love helping people and their number one focus is customer service.
“I love working in retail and with people in general because they seem to be happy around Halloween even though it is a spooky holiday,” said Shelly Dawson. “It is great to make someone’s day when they come in not knowing what they want and then you help them out and piece together a costume that they make their own and is unique.”
“We have a great location and even though we have not been open a month yet, word of mouth is getting out and every week is better than the week before,” said Jenna Dawson. “We definitely want to start meeting people and get in with the schools and the community on how we can give back.”
Halloween Express is located at 4101 Raeford Road. Hours of operation are Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m. The two weeks prior to Halloween, the store will remain open until 10 p.m. For more information, call 483-4477.
Photo: Jenna and Shelly Dawson love helping Fayetteville residents gear up for Halloween.