New ‘haven’ for Halloween enthusiasts opens in Burnsville

Heather Gorman of Burnsville quit her job in the health insurance industry in July to open a seasonal store called Halloween Haven at 1000 County Road 42 in Burnsville. - Photo by Jessica Harper
by Jessica Harper
Dakota County Tribune
Although Halloween is a month away, Heather Gorman is set for the haunted holiday.
Animated witches, grotesque body parts, hanging bodies and other gory goodies fill her seasonal store, Halloween Haven, which opened on Aug. 30 in Burnsville.
“I’m really into the Halloween season, and what better way to celebrate it than to have a store,” she said.
Gorman, a Burnsville resident, said she most enjoys the opportunity to dress up and “be anything I want to be.”
In addition to selling props and decorations, Halloween Haven sells costumes for adults.

- Halloween Haven is filled with a mix of ghoulish goodies such as animated witches, gory body parts, eerie pictures and hanging bodies. – Photo by Jessica Harper
Gorman said she decided to pursue the age 20 to 40 target market because big-box retailers are becoming a popular destination for children’s costumes.
Gorman purchased much of her inventory from Costumes Plus, which recently closed at the Burnsville Center.
Oddly, a small collection of Christmas village pieces is also among the inventory purchased from Costumes Plus.
Opening the store was a big leap for Gorman, who quit her job in the health insurance industry in July to pursue the venture full time.
“I was nervous at first, but I always wanted to run my own business,” she said.
Gorman and her husband, Cliff, invested about $100,000 from their retirement fund in the store.
Gorman said she was a little nervous at first about borrowing from the fund, but she’s confident they can pay it off since Cliff kept his job as a financial analyst rather than work at the store full time.
Halloween Haven doesn’t have much local competition other than the Halloween Express store near Burnsville Center.
“I hope we will be able to compete,” Gorman said. “We carry more props and they carry more costumes.”
Additionally, Halloween Haven is open from Aug. 30 to Nov. 2, while its competition is open year-round.
Gorman said she felt a seasonal approach would be more cost-effective than being open all year. However, merchandise will be available all year on Halloween Haven’s website.
Halloween Haven is located at 1000 County Road 42 E. near County Road 11 in Burnsville.
Its hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Jessica Harper is at
jessica.harper@ecm-inc.com.





