# Location?



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

I live in a small rural town where there is literally nothing to do. In two years of haunting I've out grown my apartment. Sure I could do it here again, but I don't feel I can get any bigger/better, just different. My storage unit is also to capacity, so changing my theme would mean getting rid of some stuff or shelling out more cash for another/bigger storage unit. I just need more space. I may not go pro per say, but I want to open for more than just one or two nights and have a decent size haunt. Maybe even team up with a charity and go that route for a year or two.

I've been told that the 3 most important things for a new business is location, location, location. There's also the if you build they will come theory. Personally I think its a mixture of the two. 

How far would you be willing to drive to go to a haunt that had a positive review? Do you prefer the haunts out in the country or at your local mall?


----------



## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

Between those two choices, hands down, out in the country. The mall is...the mall. The only atmosphere you get is what you create. The country, on the other hand, lends itself to set the mood from the very start. It also allows you to spread out the haunt and plant items on the way to the main entrance to get people excited.

Personally, I'd probably say anything over an hour away would make me think twice about going. Not saying i wouldn't go, but I'd have to REALLY want to go.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I agree with Ghoul Friday - a country setting just lends itself to good atmosphere. The benefit of a mall setting, however, is built-in audience. Folks are already there, they don't have to drive anywhere else, and you benefit from any spur-of-the-moment traffic through your haunt.

If I were to go to a country haunt, I would tend to favor one within a 30 minute drive.


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

I said mall, but don't even have one less than an hour away. I guess I should have said within city limits. 

Personally I think being in town takes away from potential suspense/ambiance but concerned that some that would normally come wouldn't make the drive. 

Just trying to make a good decision before spending way more than I already have and that was probably more than I should....lol.

Thanks for your input!


----------



## Ghoul Friday (Oct 6, 2007)

Roxy's right about getting people there easier in a mall. The other question is: who do you want to attract to the haunt as your main audience? If it's at the mall, chances are you'll fill up with pre-teens and teens. I could see more families and older crowds coming out to the country to balance the mix. 

Personally, the idea of waiting in line with a bunch of stereotypical mallrats makes me want to poke my eyes out. To clarify, I mean those kids that are bored out of their minds so they hang at the mall to get into mischief and make the security guard's life hell.

**Added after joker's post** Ah ok. SO not a mall per se. I think it depends on the location you found in town.


----------



## Front Yard Fright (Dec 23, 2005)

There's a pro haunt about a 45 min drive from here and they are WAYYY out in the country... We get lost almost every time we go! However, they are very very very successful! Word of mouth is one thing people don't really think about. If you make a kick butt haunt, people willl talk about it, and more people will likely come because of the good things they heard.
.


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

I wouldn't say mine was kick butt, but I've been told its way better than any of the so called pro haunts in my area and people can't believe that I'm not charging. So far ('07 & '08) all my advertising has been word of mouth with the exception of 2 newspapers articles this past season. We had about 150 kids on Halloween night in '07 and right at 300 for '08 (2 nights).

There's really only 3 or 4 and I've never been to any of them due to poor word of mouth. It surprises me that even after bad mouthing them they still go back year after year. 3 are in nearby towns (less than 30 mins) and one is in town. I guess that should be a pretty good indication to me that people would be willing to make the drive.


----------



## chisox100 (Nov 12, 2008)

The two best pro haunts near me are in the outskirts of Chicago which is all farm land. So i would say country


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Are there any old buildings or storefronts available in your town's business area that could be used for a seasonal haunt (assuming you don't go the country route)? Or, if you partner with a charity, are there any that own property that could be used for a haunt?


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

RoxyBlue said:


> Are there any old buildings or storefronts available in your town's business area that could be used for a seasonal haunt (assuming you don't go the country route)? Or, if you partner with a charity, are there any that own property that could be used for a haunt?


Business area? Hahahaha that's a good one. Population here is less than 4,000.


----------



## Frighteners Entertainment (Jan 24, 2006)

How far from a larger city?


----------



## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

I'm about an hour and a half east of Dallas and about the same distance West of Texarkana (pop 36,131). 45 Minutes North of Longview (pop 73344). Nearest decent size town for the area would be Mt. Pleasant (pop 14,770) or Sulphur Springs (pop 15,387) and about 15-20 mins from either.

Despite our rural area we had between 150-200 our first year and about 300 this year. Not much to do I guess helps with the numbers.


----------

