NORFOLK, Va. -- The economic goblins haven't scared most consumers away from Halloween shops and attractions this year.
A half-dozen Halloween, party and costume stores in Norfolk reported that sales were steady or up from last year.
At Harygul's, which has four stores in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake and an online business, D. Nachnani said it was too early to predict final sales figures, but so far, he said they are up in the "single digits" from last year.
He has seen big gains in home-decor items, such as fake spiderwebs and fog machines, and adult costumes.
In a survey released last month, the National Retail Federation predicted that spending for Halloween this year would total $5.77 billion, up 14 percent from its $5.07 billion forecast for 2007.
