Wednesday, September 17, 2008

NOT YOUR MAMA'S HALLOWEEN SHOP

This shop is off the beaten path in Costa Mesa CA. The name of it is Paris Underground. It's in back of a darling shop called Paris to the Moon. I'll show you that cute place later.


You can tell by the front door that this isn't your everyday typical Halloween store.


The whole place is NOTHING but Halloween decor right now. Though they do change it at other times of the years.


Every space is full of great items. I loved this display as this year I'm decorating with a black and white theme for Halloween.


This guy just made me smile.


You can even gaze into this crystal ball and see what your future holds in store for you. Or you can learn how to read palms.

This area is like a big science lab. Creepy eye balls and body parts can be bought.

I fell in love with this little book but I was good and didn't buy it.


I bet the owner of this shop has the best Halloween parties! Look at all the things he could use. Yes, it's a man who owns this shop and also the Paris to the Moon.


If you don't want to learn to tell fortunes then you can buy this vintage type machine to do it for you. But, I hope you have a lot of money to buy it or it isn't going anywhere.

How about a sparkly skull head? I bet a woman makes these. A little sparkle can never hurt you.


Lot's of black, white and orange candy can be purchased.


There is a great costume for you to wear this year!


A whole bar set up for Absinthe. I hear one goes a bit "crazy" when drinking this. Sorry, but it's not legal to have this in USA. Though in other countries this is a favorite drink by many artists. They say it helps them to create.


Then of course there is the cheerful and vintage inspired items too.

I have to say, I could have spent hours in this shop. It's tiny but packed with so many unique things.

It's a shop you don't quickly forget once you walk in. It sort of "Haunts" you when you leave.

Every year I have a have a Halloween party for Trinity and her friends. Each year we do a different theme. I've noticed as she gets older she wants to get a little more scary in the themes. Gone are the days of the Tinker Bell costumes.

How about you? Do you do anything special for Halloween? Do you decorate with a theme? A style?

Personally I love vintage inspired items. I would love to own real vintage things but most of them are way out of my price budget.

Hope you enjoyed shopping with me. Oh you want to know what I bought here? Sorry, I left empty handed.

Hugs,

Joanne

21 comments:

Gone said...

Cute shop, Joanne...thanks for the tour.

Two things I don't do is:

*Decorate for FALL
*Decorate for HALLOWEEN

Now...Christmas? That's another story!!! Well, at least when Tom and I are home for Christmas. We've talked about NOT be home for Christmas!!! (I've actually - when single - gone AWAY for Christmas and alas, no decorations!)

~Blessings,
Jan

Darlene said...

That looks like the NEATEST shop!! I would roam around for a long time there...I LOVE the white pumpkins with the crows on them!! Actually I LOVE a bunch of the stuff!! I LOVE to decorate for Fall and Halloween. Halloween has never been an evil thing for my family just a ton of fun!!!

Mary Ellen said...

Fun fun fun....I would love to visit this shop.........you do find the most wonderful shops!!!! We love to decorate for fall and Halloween..hopefully this week-end we will at least get the fall items out........
Hey doing a give away on my site.....please drop over and sign up........

Cottage Way of Life said...

Oh that shop looks fantastic. I'm definitely going to have to check it out. Thank you for the tour.

By the way, Absinthe is legal in the USA now. This happened rather recently, within the past year. Having a rather romantic view of the Parisian Boho times and La Fee Vert (thank you Moulin Rouge), and despite the fact that I don't drink (never liked alcohol much at all), I just had to try Absinthe. Went through the whole ritual of pouring cold water over a sugar cube balanced on an Absinthe spoon over the drinking glass. Watched the Absinthe turn a lovely cloudy color. Took a sip and wondered if the Absinthe would make me hallucinate or something. Blech! It tasted like Nyquil, which is infinitely cheaper (you would not believe how much a bottle of Absinthe costs!!!), drank the whole glass though. As for hallucinating ... nope, nothing.

So much for romanticizing La Fee Vert! :^)

Cottagecheap said...

Check out Wikipedia. Talks about how Absinthe was 'vilified' and where you can get it now. I have no desire (non drinker for the most part), but found it very interesting. Thanks for making me do research! LOL

Unknown said...

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Thanks so much for the great photo's and the interesting read.

Lindsay-ann said...

Great shop full of interesting stuff. The last halloween party we had here was 2 years ago. I hid realistic looking spiders in a dark room and they had to go in pairs with a torch to find them. Then my husband dangled a ghost out of an upstairs window that kept appearing behind them through the window outside. We have a small woodland in the middle of the circle of houses where we live and the kids round here love walking through the woods in the dark with their lit pumpkins.
Lindsay

Michele said...

Hi Joanne...I love this shop! Can't believe you left empty handed! It looks like loads of fun!

Hugz,
Michele

Glenda said...

How fun. That's a shop I could have fun in.

And a paris shop Oh, be still my heart. Please, please mommy can I buy something ????? please.

You always find such great places.

Ciao for now

Cindy said...

What a great shop! I love all the halloween candy in the beautiful jars!

said...

That's a great-looking shop, Joanne. I would love to browse and browse the merchandise!

I've never been a fan of Halloween but I'm discovering that I like the vintage and Victorian style Halloween decor.

Unknown said...

Looks like you've been doing a lot of shopping lately, Joanne! What a cool shop; I love places chock-full of cool things that i don't need! Thanks for sharing.

Just A Girl said...

HI Joanne,
Sorry I haven't stopped by as I've been crazy busy with work and life. Some months it never ends!
Hey, this is one of my favorite little shops and it looks as if its turned into a shop of horrors. Very festive and ghoulish. I'm with Jan...Christmas is my holiday!
Have a fun week and I'll try to email soon. When's your cruz?
:) Cori

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Hi Joanne,
That is one awesome Halloween store and you were so good not to buy anything..not even a treat?!
Yes, a little on the scary side but some cute stuff too. That was fun.
Warmly, Deb

cherry said...

Ohhh I would love a shop like that...I have been making some of my own vintage inspired Hallween decor...I can't afford much of the old OR new rofl. Thanks for the fun tour. cherry

Anonymous said...

Really a best shop for Halloween shopping.

Barb said...

What a fun shop! I saw a few things I would love to have for the girls. I do a little fall decorating but Christmas is the main thing around here.

hugs,
Barb

SummerAnytime said...

Wow, talk about eye candy! I love to find cool shops like that, thanks for sharing! ~Becky~

Anonymous said...

Yea!! Nice shop with full of fantastic and scary Halloween stuff!!

bj said...

What a cool store and I would be like you, nothing in hand when I left. My grandkids would sure love some of that, tho!

Pearl said...

What a great shop and such a neat name! I could stay hours in a spot like that, too! I loved the white pumpkin with the Big black Spider painted on... EEK! Would like to have the tall candy-corn-filled jar in my home... but what I really fell in love with was that teeny-tiny black bird cage! ~swoons~ I SOOOO wish I could stumble upon one of those! Thanks for sharing... it was a fun post!

~blessings~
Pearl