A new store is coming to Regency Mall, located where the late, unlamented ChiChi's restaurant was. Don't get too excited, because it will only be here a couple of months.
The "building" is a giant inflatable pumpkin balloon. Inside you'll find Halloweeen costumes and other items for that singular holiday. Owner John Majdoch was unloading the "structure" this morning -- there is a steel superstructure around the perimeter. Once inflated, the balloon will be 100 ft. around and have about 8,000 sq. ft. of selling space.
"There are only two of these in the world," Majdoch told us; he designed the structure himself and had it made in Florida; think of those "indoor" golf domes. This one was at the State Fair for three years, and at I-94 and Route 50 in Bristol, but this is its first attempt to scare up business at a mall.
Halloween Express -- the Racine store used to be located in the old Kohl's supermarket on Durand and Lathrop -- is Majdoch's sole support. He has nine retail outlets -- only two of them are balloons -- and works all year to deal with 100 vendors and obtain the 10,000 products he'll sell, starting Sept. 1.
"I work at this all year," he says, "but I have only two months of income."
As you'd expect, the balloon will be deflated and hauled away at the end of the selling season.
Does he own the Halloween Express tent that's at 7-Mile Fair, too?
ReplyDeleteThanks City of Racine. We can't afford to pay our property taxes and you allow a guy to compete with us Raqcine merchants by selling his Chinese crap out of a giant balloon. Way to support local business. Will he have an inflatable port-o-poty for a bathroom or did you require so many toilet per so many person building capacity. Thanks again to the City of Racine.
ReplyDeleteI do believe this is RCEDC's attempt at economic development - keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteSo about that furniture store that was going to be built on that lot.....
ReplyDeleteMaybe if the guy with the 6th st convenience store buys a blow up bottle of beer, city hall will let him open up a business in Racine. City development should be fired for being a bunch of idiots. I thought that all commercial buildings had to be on masonry foundations, but maybe I'm wrong!
ReplyDeleteThe picture of the blowup pumpkin should be on the cover of Brian Oconnel's memoirs titled "My Legacy on Racine." This is about the only thing that was built during his overly long stay in Racine.
ReplyDeleteAre you people really throwing rocks at a person who creates a workable business model and successfully executes that model? This creates jobs, albeit temporary, in the area. It doesn't make business sense to have a Halloween store open all year.
ReplyDeleteWe are throwing rocks at the people that we hired to run our city and protect our investments that don't give a crap about the guys that pay their salaries.
ReplyDeleteI don't see the difference here between putting up a tent or renting the building at Lathrop & Durand for a couple of months just to sell Halloween merchandise. Restrooms are not an issue since the mall is right there. I agree that our City Council and so-called mayor are about as stupid and backwards as they come, but is this really that big of a problem? Is it really that big of a competitor to the other businesses in town? Is there really an ordinance that states that a temporary structure needs to be brick-and-mortar? Are the boggers here reading more into it than there really is and just going too far with their criticizim? It criticizim spelled correctly?
ReplyDeleteI meant, IS criticizim spelled correctly?
ReplyDeleteI think it is really good that he chose Racine to set up his business. We are lucky anyone chooses Racine these days.
ReplyDeleteBut, yes our city and council are doing a dismal job of improving Racine from a business and jobs standpoint.
To operate a business in Racine you need a building. What is the difference if a building is temporary or permanent? Why should the rules for buildings change if it is temporary. I'm sure the mall or Target would love to know that he plans to let his customers use their bathrooms, water, soap & toilet paper while he keeps the profits from his blow up building. Racine is run by a bunch of bumbling morons.
ReplyDeleteAnon 6:59, "What is the difference if a building is temporary or permanent?"
ReplyDeleteYou don't see a difference? That being the case, every car dealership in the city should be denied from holding tent sales, the carnivals that come to town should be denied permits because their structures are not brick and mortar, the circus should not be allowed to set up their tents, all of the fireworks stands that appear around the 4th of July should be shut down, and the big blow up "human body experience" that was at the mall a couple years ago should have been denied. How foolish!
We are talking about a temporary business that deals in just one class of product (Halloween merchandise). That is hardly a threat to any other business in town. This is America (at least for the moment) where free enterprise and competition is at the heart of our society. And what difference does it make if it's in a tent or occupying a vacant store front? NONE!
"Anonymous Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteThanks City of Racine. We can't afford to pay our property taxes and you allow a guy to compete with us Raqcine merchants by selling his Chinese crap out of a giant balloon. Way to support local business"
Listen here you piece of trash, IT'S YOUR FAULT YOUR BUSINESS SUCKS. IT'S YOUR FAULT NOBODY VISITS IT.
this man provides an excellent service to this area, one that nobody else provides!
Fyi... Drove past the balloon yesteray and they did have a couple of port-o-potties outside the tent for customer convenience. :)
ReplyDelete