A red Circuit City logo peeks out over the top of a black sign indicating the children's costume section. That sliver of color is all that is left of the former electronics giant, which has been replaced -- at least for the next few weeks -- by Halloween Adventure, a seasonal costume super store.

Halloween Adventure is the newest seasonal Halloween store to open a location in State College. Seasonal stores are operations that last about two months, in the case of Halloween stores, arriving around September and shutting down just after Halloween.

"It really, truly is a six- to eight-week operation," store marketing director Walter Koval said. "The store opens each Labor Day, or around then, and winds down in November."

The chain operates between 100 and 125 stores each Halloween season, Koval said. It rents out temporary locations to host the shop, such as the former Circuit City store at 19 Colonnade Way, and fills the store with a variety of costumes organized into categories, including "witch," "vampire" and "devil."

"You see more empty stores than ever before, and seasonal stores are a great revenue source for [landlords]," Koval said.

"It creates a real nice win-win from a business perspective."

He added more than a dozen Halloween Adventure stores are housed in former Circuit City locations this fall.

Though this is Halloween Adventure's first year with a location in State College, Penn State students have enjoyed the benefits of seasonal Halloween stores for decades.

Gift Adventures manager Gary Filkins said his store, which usually operates as a specialty gift shop, has been transforming into a temporary Halloween costume hot spot since about 1980.

"We're the only local store that's done this for 29 years," Filkins said.

In the past, another seasonal store called Spirit Halloween was available to students. Owners did not open a State College location this year, however.

For many seasonal stores, prepping for Halloween is a year-round process. Gift Adventures, 137 E. Beaver Ave., begins its Halloween preparations in January in order to have the store ready for mid-September.

For about a month and a half, skeletons pose in the front window, and angel wings, go-go boots and wigs of every color line the inside walls. A few days after the holiday, however, stuffed penguins and beaded jewelry -- which have been pushed aside for the holiday -- return to their normal places.

"We work very hard to take half the gift store and move the inventory to make room for the Halloween goods," Filkins said.

The staff usually attends trade shows and pre-buy shows throughout the year to view costumes and new products, he said.

"A lot of these companies are already preparing samples for next year even though we're not through this year yet," Filkins said. "Then in March we start getting products shipped for the following Halloween."

Halloween Adventure also begins early in the year. The staff works with real estate agents year-round and selects sites for its stores from January to May. The company also attends trade shows throughout the year to compile merchandise for the few short weeks its stores will be open.

Filkins said he expects next week to be hectic but also one of the store's most profitable weeks of the year.

"Our busiest day is the Friday before Halloween, and Halloween day ... because a lot of people wait until the last minute," Filkins said. "Right now, it's easy for us to service people, but it gets crazy around the final week."

He estimated that about 7,000 people pass through the store's doors each year in the week leading up to Halloween, causing a massive line to form outside. If the business let everyone in at once, the store would be a "cattle yard," Filkins said. And he's finding it's not just for kids anymore -- a sentiment Koval echoed.

"The Halloween business has evolved over the past several years to include young adults," Koval said.

While Koval said Halloween Adventure provides costumes and accessories for all ages, Filkins said his store is geared more toward the high school and college-aged crowd.

"[Halloween Adventure] is competition, but they're more family-based and kid-based," Filkins said. "I think because we focus on the Penn State students and because we've done it so long, I think we're better at having what students are looking for."

Melissa Duck (freshman-kinesiology) said she liked the variety of accessories at Gift Adventures.

"I love that they have so many ... so if I don't see a costume that I like, then I can just make my own," said Duck, who plans on being "envy" as one of the seven deadly sins with her friends.

A busy Halloween season also means increased staffing. Gift Adventures handles the issue by hiring additional employees and asking them to stay on for the Christmas season, Filkins said.

Halloween Adventure, on the other hand, has 45 year-round employees within the company, but once Halloween season kicks off, the company can staff as many as 1,500 seasonal employees nationwide.

Halloween Adventure expects to return to State College in the future, Koval said.

"College towns are great places for Halloween stores," he said. "The nature of a college environment has just been a perfect fit."