Spirit Halloween and a home decor store have set up shop in Lawrence for the season, and a new Italian restaurant has opened.
• Spirit Halloween has once again risen from the grave of the old Joann Fabrics and Crafts location for its spooky retail season. The chain store pops up annually to sell Halloween decor, animatronics, costumes for babies, adults and everyone in between, and more.
The Lawrence location will be open at 2108 W. 27th St. through Monday, Nov. 2, according to staff. Folks should be on the lookout for discounts around that time.
The store’s hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
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• Palermo’s Italian Restaurant opened Tuesday at 3140 Iowa St.
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The menu offers salads, pizzas, sandwiches, pastas and seafood, and includes classics like chicken cacciatore, baked ziti, lasagna and more.
In a Facebook post, the restaurant asked customers to be patient as staff members adjust to the first week of being open. A manager declined to comment for this article.
Palermo’s is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, according to the website. Customers can also order food for delivery or pickup online.
• Red Door Home Store has taken up residence at the former Winfield House location, 645 Massachusetts St.
For now, it’s a seasonal pop-up store with a lease through December, but the shop will stick around longer if Lawrence shows an interest, according to owner Jesse Borjon.
“We have every intention of trying to be here on term, and we do have the first option to renew once the initial lease expires,” Borjon said.
Red Door first opened in Topeka, where Borjon lives, in 2015. Their wares were in high demand at holiday pop-up markets in Kansas City, so they eventually opened an Overland Park location in 2022. In 2023, Borjon sold the Topeka store — which now has a different name and selection — to an employee.
“We want folks to come curious about what the latest trends are in home decor, and then we want them to be inspired by how we have used different decor items in the store, and we want them to take those ideas and use them in their own home,” he said.
The Lawrence location currently has a Halloween collection, peppered with bats, pumpkins and Frankenstein’s monsters. Borjon said folks can expect more winter holiday items in the coming weeks.
“We’re seeing kind of a swing back to classical traditional,” he said of current design trends. “We are going to have a fabulous plaid collection at holiday, and there’s nothing I like more than plaid, so you’re going to see a lot of it.”
In addition to seasonal decor and furniture, Red Door sells giftable items, artwork, lamps, frames, wallpaper and more. The Lawrence store has a work room where staff can make custom pillows, drapery and window coverings using the three upholstery lines staff curates. Alternatively, customers can get fabric by the yard.
For those seeking a highly personal touch, Red Door has designers available for in-store or at-home consultations. Borjon said it’s best to schedule an appointment in advance.
Customers will also find select specialty food items, like their popular chicken salad mix produced in Peculiar, Missouri. It was sold out Tuesday, but Borjon said more was already on the way.
Folks can find Red Door on its website, Instagram and Facebook. The Lawrence location is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
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Wulfe Wulfemeyer (they/them), reporter and news editor, has worked with The Lawrence Times since May 2025. They can be reached at [email protected].
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