Celebrate the Spookiest Holiday of the Year with Vintage Halloween Décor

As the air gets crisp and the days get shorter, it’s time to bring out your most boo-tiful decorations and prepare your home for Halloween! When it comes to sprucing up your spaces for the holidays, why settle for anything less than unique? Head to your antique mall and pick up the vintage Halloween décor that will set your home apart from the rest of the houses on your street. 

Why Do We Decorate for Halloween?

There’s a good chance that you, your parents, and maybe even your grandparents all grew up decorating the home in one way or another for the beloved October holiday. But do you know why the history of why we do it?

Long before plastic pumpkins graced doorsteps and kiddos dressed up to trick-or-treat, ancient Celts celebrated Samhain, a day when the veil between the dead and the living was said to be at its thinnest. Entire towns would place candles in carved turnips and place them outside of their homes to ward off evil spirits. When Irish immigrants traveled to America, they discovered the pumpkin was a more accessible choice, and the tradition of Jack o’ lanterns was born!

As the commercialization of the holiday grew, so did the various types of Halloween home décor. Soon, you could see black cats, witches, skeletons (essentially anything seen as creepy or that held macabre symbolism) in houses around the world.

Vintage Halloween Décor vs. Retro Halloween Décor

These days, it seems like vintage Halloween decorations are all the rage. But with that trend comes one perilous pitfall: accidentally buying retro decorations instead of authentically vintage Halloween collectibles. Before you head to the antique mall, make sure you understand the difference.

Vintage Halloween décor refers to the designs that are at least 20 years old and were actually made during the time periods they reflect, whereas retro décor is a modern recreation of those popular styles. As you shop, keep an eye out for decorations that show signs of wear and tear or come with proof of authentication to ensure you’re adding the genuine antique pieces to your collection.

The Many Reasons to Decorate with Vintage Halloween Home Décor

You don’t need an entire collection of exclusively vintage Halloween décor—even one or two designs are enough to transform your home for the eeriest of the holidays. Not quite convinced? There are countless reasons to join in the fun:

• Unique charm

• Vintage aesthetic

• Nostalgic connections

• Sustainable alternative

• Fun-for-all-ages designs

• Value and collectability

• Timeless motifs

Is Vintage Halloween Décor Expensive?

Good news! Vintage Halloween décor can be found in a variety of price ranges, ensuring there’s something to fit any budget. Typically, the older the design, the more collectible it becomes, fetching hundreds or thousands of dollars, depending on its rarity.

Keep an Eye Out for these Types of Vintage Halloween Décor

As fall approaches, more and more antique mall vendors will begin putting their best selection of vintage Halloween décor on display. The next time you stop by, keep your eyes peeled for:

Holiday Blow Molds for Halloween

Holiday blow molds remain one of the most enduring decorations from decades past, and Halloween is no exception. Designed mainly for outdoor use, authentic vintage blow molds, like the designs from the original creator, Don Featherstone, were handmade from melted plastic. Each one was carefully formed and shaped to resemble holiday-specific icons and motifs.

A blow mold is the perfect Halloween décor to add vintage charm to your porch or lawn for every trick-or-treater in the neighborhood to see. Some designs include a lightbulb to help you light up your walkway for all the festivities!

A Few Popular Types of Halloween Blow Molds:

• Ghosts

• Black cats

• Dracula

• Tombstones

• Pumpkins

• Frankenstein

• Haunted houses

Spooky Papier-Mâché Decorations

Before plastic became the norm for decorations in the mid-20^th century, papier-mâché was the go-to choice. Made from layers of paper and glue and hand-molded, the collectible papier-mâché decorations from the 19^th century are the perfect way to bring an antique style to your home. Search for traditional papier-mâché pumpkins, black cats, and ghosts at our Highland antique mall and start your papier-mâché Halloween décor collection ASAP!

Useful Halloween Kitchen Collectibles

If you’re looking forward to hosting spooky movie nights for your kiddos or a themed murder mystery dinner party to celebrate the season, look out for entertaining essentials in the vintage Halloween décor section. There’s no need to buy a matching set of plates and serving dishes—even the smallest detail will elevate your table. Browse our Algonquin antique mall’s aisles in search of vintage Halloween versions of:

• Cookie jars

• Dinnerware sets

• Punch bowls

• Candy dishes

• Salt and pepper shakers

• Napkin holders

Adorable Halloween Gurley Candles

Before going out of business in 1994, the Gurley candle-making company produced thousands of holiday-themed designs throughout the second half of the 20^th century. Though these small, wax candles are completely functional, they’re most valuable when found fully intact. With smiling faces and vibrant colors, the witch, Jack o’ lantern, moon, cat, ghoul, and ghost Gurley candles are a fun-for-all-ages collectible.

Versatile Vintage Bottles and Jars

Though they weren’t technically created as Halloween décor, antique jars are easily repurposed for the season. If you aren’t afraid of a little DIY, head to your nearest Highland vendor mall and search for old Mason jars and colorful bottles to unleash your creativity.

If you’re looking for a child-friendly craft, consider making a few mummy candle holders. Clean out a few Mason jars and start wrapping and gluing down layers of white gauze around the outside. Add a few googly eyes, and voila!

If you come across an antique set of funky-shaped bottles, consider setting up a witchy apothecary display around your home. Fill a few with plastic spiders, insects, bones, colored water, and eyeballs to create realistic specimen jars and potions. Add vintage-inspired labels to a few other jars to create “Poison,” “Eye of Newt,” “Unicorn Dust,” and more, to really sell it!

Where’s the Best Place to Find Vintage Halloween Décor?

When it comes to finding trendy collectibles, online auction forums are the best option for those who prefer shopping from the comfort of their own home. But, for those who crave a more tactile experience, you can’t beat antique malls.

With hundreds of vendors under one roof, antique malls offer endless possibilities. It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for a specific design to complete a Halloween decoration collection or window shopping with friends—no two visits are alike. Connect with other customers, build relationships with your favorite vendors, and spend hours searching through every booth to find exactly what you’re looking for.

Whether you transform your home into a haunted house each year or are searching for a few charming decorations for subtle tablescapes, anyone can decorate the old-fashioned way. Swing by America’s Antique Mall today and search for the vintage Halloween décor of your worst nightmares!