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My Favorite Horror-Themed Small Businesses

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at C of C chapter.

For those like me, who think every day is Halloween, it is fun to have clothes, accessories, and home goods that bring that spooky energy into our everyday life. For years I have been shopping with small businesses I find on Instagram that sell horror movie and Halloween-inspired goods. There are hundreds out there, but here are just a few of my favorites.

Lively Ghosts

Lively Ghosts sells accessories, stickers, and pins, but their most popular items are pinboards. Their pinboards are so popular that they sell out within minutes of being put online. They are all handmade and painted by the shop owner and are in the shape of coffins (so cute!). The pinboards are often themed after horror movies, like Beetlejuice or Nightmare on Elm Street. They also have ones themed after things like the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney and candy corn. This is not only a small business but a small artist! Check out her Instagram for all things spooky and dark.

The Smell of Fear

This shop may be one of the most unique ones here. The Smell of Fear makes horror movie and book-themed candles! Or, as their Instagram caption says, “Sinister Scents from Scary Stories.” This shop has an insane number of candle choices for a small business. You can probably find even your most obscure favorite horror story in the form of a candle here. Some include Trick ‘r Treat, Lost Boys, American Werewolf in London, Beetlejuice, and Friday the 13th. My personal favorite from their shop is their The Shining-themed candle called The Overlook. They even have a subscription box if you really love candles!

Wake The Dead Scrubs

Wake The Dead Scrubs makes horror-themed skincare. This is my most purchased-from business on this list. I use Wake The Dead Scrubs products every single day. I am a huge fan of her “Zombie Antidote” daily moisturizer and highly recommend it to everyone. Her face masks are all wonderful too.

If you are interested in looking at small business skincare products, this is the shop. They are of amazing quality, and many of the products are horror-themed, including her popular “Leatherface Mask.” Check out her products on her Instagram!

VOIDEaD

VOIDEaD is a horror-themed artist who makes prints of her work and, most popularly, hand paints purses and wallets with your favorite horror characters. These products are pretty pricey since it is original artwork, but they are so beautiful and durable. I have a wallet from this artist with Sam from Trick r’ Treat painted on it. There are incredibly detailed. Some characters she does are Scream, Beetlejuice, Sam, It, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Coraline. Definitely go check out her artwork on her Instagram. If you are interested in her products, turn on her story post notifications because her drops sell out very quickly.

This is my list of favorite spooky small businesses. There are many more shops out there you should check out as well. These shops often post about fellow artists with similar work, so make sure to follow them to see more. Shopping small is always more gratifying than buying from a big corporation, so remember to shop small!

Julia Mimo

C of C '22

I am a junior at the College of Charleston studying theater with a concentration in scenic design. I am an out-of-state student from Connecticut. I love spending time outside (especially to find dogs to pet!) and I love being active!