TUSTIN - While big-box stores still have a few more weeks to prep for their busiest time of the year, Goodwill Industries is already in the midst of its holiday peak season.

“Halloween is our Christmas,” said Eric Smissen, the nonprofit’s visual specialist at Goodwill’s Tustin boutique.

Goodwill of O.C.’s revenues last year totaled nearly $50 million. Roughly 10 percent of that business was conducted in October, when many start curating their costumes.

Overall, the dress-up season is big business for retailers. Even during the worst of the Great Recession, customers said they planned to spend almost $4.8 billion for Halloween wares, from costumes to candy, according to the National Retail Federation trade group. (Source: Orange County Register)

Story Date: November 1, 2014