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Shoppers spooked by the snipers last October are toning down the scare factor this Halloween, area retailers say.
They're snapping up kinder, gentler decorations and costumes, such as the Incredible Hulk and huge, inflatable pumpkins.
"In the last couple of years, there's been so much going on," said Bonnie Seay, manager of Fantasy, a Falmouth costume shop. "First there was 9/11, then you had the snipers and then the hurricane. People are tired of bad things; they're looking for things that are uplifting and cutesy."
Customers at her store are looking for everything from cartoon characters to period clothing to the traditional black-hatted Halloween witch outfit, she said.
"One youngster wanted to be Santa Claus," Seay said. "We even had a costume that fit."
Halloween almost didn't happen in this area last year after snipers went on a shooting spree that included the Oct. 4 wounding of a woman outside a Michaels Arts and Crafts store near Spotsylvania Mall and the Oct. 11 killing of a Philadelphia man at the Four-Mile Fork Exxon.
Suspects John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo were arrested eight days before the holiday, and Muhammad is now on trial in Virginia Beach.
Kim Rose, Michaels' manager, remembers sales ground to a halt the day of the shooting there, but snapped back after the arrests.
"We had our customers, but they were more careful about shopping. They were zigzagging across the parking lot [to reduce the chance of getting shot] to get inside," she said.
Sales are stronger this year, Rose said, although she did not have any figures earlier this week.
Shoppers at her store are buying pumpkins, scarecrows and spider webs to decorate their front lawns, and strands of pumpkin lights to string along window frames, she said.
"Anything that's got a light in it seems to be real popular this year," Rose said. "Everybody seems to be lighting up the world."
Nationwide, Halloween sales are expected to be about the same as last year, said Ellen Tolley of the National Retail Federation.
The Washington-based organization's 2003 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey found that 55.8 percent of consumers plan to celebrate the holiday and will spend an average of $41.77. Last year they spent about $44.20.
"That's encouraging, because a lot of people have Halloween decorations now," Tolley said. "People are just adding to their collections."
She added that area shoppers appear to have bounced back from unforeseen circumstances, such as the sniper attacks, and are looking forward to Halloween this year.
"Last year, people were wondering if they'd be able to celebrate the holiday at all," Tolley said.
Halloween ranks just behind Christmas as the second-biggest holiday for decorating, according to the NRF. About half of the consumers who responded to its poll said they plan to decorate their homes or yards with a Halloween theme.
Spirits Halloween Store, a seasonal shop at Spotsylvania Mall, is selling more strobe lights, fog machines and flying bats than last year, said Steve-o Accola, assistant manager.
At Target in Central Park, shoppers are on the prowl for illuminated pumpkins, mini candy bars, and licensed-character costumes such as Harry Potter, the Incredible Hulk, Diva Starz and Bratz, said Erin Dyer, one of the store's managers.
"They're going back to basics," she said. "They want more fall harvest things and not as much of the scary stuff."
So far, sales are up over last year, said Scott Cooper, another Target manager.
"Our sales were way down last year over what we had projected [for Halloween]," he said. "The one Friday when the woman was shot at Michaels, we did half of what we normally do."
Halloween sales at Party City also are on the rebound after last year's sniper attacks, said Mike Wilson, who manages the Central Park store.
"Last year was one of those situations where everyone was just scared to go anywhere," he said. "Now they're more willing to shop."
Party City is selling lots of Incredible Hulk, Disney Princess and Ninja costumes, and is getting requests for Arnold Schwarzenegger outfits.
"We don't have anything for him," Wilson said. "There's a muscle shirt, which makes you look like you have muscles. Nobody has done anything with Arnold yet."
At Factory Card Outlet, customers are buying lots of Halloween-themed cups, plates and party decorations, said Debbie Mason, assistant manager of the Greenbrier Shopping Center store.
"People really seem to be going all out to brighten their world," she said. "I don't know if it's because there's a lull in this time of year, or because 9/11 and the sniper made the world scary for us and we need some cheering up."
Even Halloween-themed socks and sweaters are doing better this year, said Linda Simms of Carlton Ltd. in Westwood Shopping Center.
"Last year was a real scare for everybody," she said. "Now people's spirits are up and they want some novelty."
To reach CATHY JETT: 540/374-5407 cjett@freelancestar.com