Vintage Halloween decor now trending for 2021
Halloween shoppers are searching for old-school decorations at an increased rate; here’s how you can find yours
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Halloween celebrators are looking for blasts from the past when it comes down to decorating their homes.
Search data on Google Trends show the term "vintage Halloween" is on the rise much like it did in late October last year. Social media users are also sharing their festive vintage décor finds in higher numbers on visual platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and TikTok.
"You can find vintage Halloween decorations in so many places: Thrift stores, grandma’s attic, garage and estate sales, eBay, and vintage stores that specialize in certain collectibles," said Lindsay McEwan – who is the owner of the Freehold, N.J.-based vintage store Trashion.
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"In my opinion, vintage, in general, is trending for a few reasons. The overkill of the fast fashion market has left people wanting something a little more sustainable and unique," McEwan added. "And after the last few years of unrest in the world, nostalgia is something comforting that brings everyone together. I love seeing the younger generation enjoying the same Halloween movies I watched when I was a kid."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Demand for vintage Halloween décor has been strong enough that newer items are being made with a retro look, according to Courtnay Tartt Elias, the principal and creative director at the Houston-based interior design group Creative Tonic Design.
"Some new Halloween décor has had a vintage feel to it, so it seems natural that people are seeking the ‘real deal’ — actual vintage items now," Elias told Fox News. "Mercury glass pumpkins, textural gourds in colors other than orange, velvet pumpkins, and items decoupaged with vintage Halloween artwork are examples of newer seasonal décor with a vintage feel."
In this archive photo from the 1940s, two young women are shown examining a paper skeleton among other Halloween decorations. (Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Elias said Halloween decorators should seek out shops that sell vintage or handmade products if they’re looking to get old-school decorations. Stores she recommends include Etsy, Chairish, Two’s Company and Marye-Kelley Decoupage.
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"Antique markets and antique stores will almost always have a wealth of potential finds," Elias said. "And shifting the focus to the spooky, nostalgic Halloweens of bygone eras allows for more leeway in what people are purchasing – ceramic pumpkins, glass pumpkins or gourds, brass items with snakes or eyes or even owls are all ripe for eerie displays."
She added, "Vintage postcards that can be tucked into mirrors, old artwork with black cats and haunted houses, tin lunchboxes with vintage Halloween designs, and even Victorian lamps with a dim bulb are wonderful additions to one’s seasonal décor. Thinking outside the box is key to achieving the vintage, mysterious, spectral feel of the Halloweens of yesteryear."
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Elias characterized vintage Halloween decorations as being "feel-good and yet spooky" without being "outright scary."
"The throwback to those slightly creepy, shadowy, haunted-house-on-the-hill Halloween displays of pumpkins with warts, dim candles, and a well-placed witch broom gives that sense of nostalgia without feeling commercial," she said. "And truly, so many of these vintage items can be used throughout the fall season, rather than being limited to Halloween only, making them even more attractive to buyers."
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Vintage Halloween decorations can be found in antique shops throughout the country, interior design expert Courtnay Tartt Elias told Fox News. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Halloween shoppers can potentially increase their luck in finding vintage decorations when they begin their search earlier in the year, McEwan told Fox News.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You just have to keep an open mind and be open to shopping for things out of season," she said. "I purchased a vintage 1992 Elvira life-sized cutout for our store window from a garage sale back in July."