Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Halloween: Trick or Treat?
12:00 pm-1:00 pm EDT
Halloween continues to climb the charts, as it becomes a more important holiday for retailers each year. This year Halloween sales in the U.S. are expected to top $13 billion!
The clear specialty retail leader in Halloween sales is the well-known retailer Spirit Halloween whose ubiquitous dedicated "pop-up" stores appear across America this time of year.
Join the Retail Marketing Society webinar on October 8th as we host Steven Silverstein, the long time CEO of Spencer Gifts (parent company of Spirit Halloween), to learn more about their unique strategy that has made them the largest Halloween specialty retailer in the world!
The interviewer of our "Conversation with..." format will be none other than our RMS board member Patrick McKeever, founder and principal of DoR Consumer Research.
As a reminder, there is no charge for RMS members to attend our webinars. There is a $50 charge for non-members to attend. Both members and non-members must register in order to participate in the webinar. Once registered, we will send you an email with the Zoom link. If you're not a member and would like to join RMS, our annual membership dues are $200 and you can join by visiting our Events & Registration Page.
QUESTIONS?
Contact RMS Chairman Richard Baum at richardbaum@retailmarketingsociety.org or RMS President Marie Driscoll at mariedriscoll@retailmarketingsociety.org if you have questions or need more information. If you are enjoying our programs, we hope you will consider joining RMS.
Fees:
RMS Members: FREE
Guests: $50*
Date: Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Time: 12:00 pm-1:00 pm EDT
Location:
Zoom instructions will be emailed upon registration for the event.
* If you're not an RMS member, now is the time to join.
Benefits of membership include: free webinars, reduced rates on meetings and conferences; complimentary attendance at our in-person networking events; and a Membership Directory for networking purposes.
Throughout his career, Steven has served in executive roles with a variety of retailers from department stores to big-box and mall-based specialty brands. Since 2003, he has been the CEO of Spencer Spirit Holdings, Inc. overseeing two renowned lifestyle retail brands – Spencer’s and Spirit Halloween.
Spencer’s, the distinct lifestyle brand, was founded in 1947 and opened its first location in 1963. Today it has become the go-to destination in the mall for fun and entertainment among 18- to 24-year-olds, operating more than 680 locations throughout the United States and Canada.
Spirit Halloween, originally founded in 1983 and acquired by Spencer’s in 1999, is North America’s largest Halloween retailer. With 1,525 seasonal locations in strip centers and malls in 2024, Spirit has experienced tremendous growth, solidifying its position as the go-to destination for all things Halloween. For more than four decades, Spirit has created immersive and interactive experiences for shoppers, complete with a unique and vast assortment of costumes and accessories for infants, toddlers, children, 'tweens, teens, and adults, along with exclusive décor and animatronics you won't find anywhere else.
Steven is driven by a passion for philanthropy and a commitment to making a positive impact, leading Spirit Halloween’s Spirit of Children and Spencer’s Boobies Make Me Smile nonprofit organizations. Since 2007, Spirit of Children has embraced the magic of Halloween to support Child Life departments in pediatric hospitals, raising over $145 million to bring joy and a sense of normalcy to young patients and their families. Since 2008, Boobies Make Me Smile has rallied associates and guests across 680 nationwide locations, raising over $14.3 million in support of the fight against young adult cancer.
Before his tenure at Spencer Spirit Holdings, Steven was in leadership roles at Linens & Things from 1992 to 2003. He joined L&T, then a division of Melville Corporation in January 1992 as VP, General Merchandise Manager. In November of 1996, Linen’s completed a successful IPO on the NYSE, as part of CVS’ (formerly Melville) strategic restructuring. In addition to merchandising; he was responsible for marketing, planning, distribution, store operations and strategic planning, before serving as company president.
Steven was previously with Bloomingdales (1985-1992) and RH Macy (1981-1983) in New York City. He received his MBA from The Wharton School in 1985 and BA from Cornell University in 1981.
A resident of Riverdale in the Bronx, New York, Steven has served on numerous local charitable and international corporate boards, continuing to make a positive impact both professionally and personally.