RETAIL RUNDOWN
FROM HALLOWEEN TREATS TO YEAR-ROUND FUN Fun.com has what fans want. by Nicole Savas, editorial assistant
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lick onto Fun.com and suddenly, you’re lost in a world of fandom-inspired merch (almost too much to choose from ... almost). The retail site has something for everyone, from the Wampa rug you never knew you needed to stylish Avatar: The Last Airbender sneakers. And there’s only one way to curate such an incredible collection of fandom-fused products: be a fan yourself.
GROWING THE BRAND For Tom Fallenstein, the founder and CEO of Fun.com, the website was a natural next step to his already successful HalloweenCostumes.com. The business started as a family endeavor: His sister sold and rented Halloween costumes that his mom made from his family’s garage. In 2001, Fallenstein started his first costume website, FlapperCostumes.com, which featured the same flapper costume in five different colors. In 2005, he moved into his first warehouse and launched several websites dedicated to different types of costumes. Every three years, the company expanded so greatly that it grew out of its space until finally settling on the 200,000-square-foot facility in Minnesota it now inhabits. This giant infrastructure gave Fallenstein the capacity to expand his company into a year-round business, but Halloween costumes are usually bought solely in the spooky season. It was time for something new. “Ultimately it was just: What’s the best website and what would we want to sell?” says Fallenstein. The team was already familiar with working with licensed brands through the Halloween business, and each member had a list of favorite fandoms a mile long, so moving into the fandom space was a natural next step
for the company. “The idea of Fun.com is the coolest website I could ever own,” Fallenstein says. HalloweenCostumes.com and Fun. com now have a total of 220 full-time employees and thousands of seasonal workers across both teams. The Fun.com side of the business expanded rapidly, and was one of the main reasons the entire staff was able to stay on last year when suddenly, Halloween was essentially canceled due to the pandemic. HalloweenCostumes.com sales were at 10% of what they normally would be, but Fun. com sales jumped about 200-300%.
“Ultimately it was just: What’s the best website and what would we want to sell? The idea of Fun. com is the coolest website I could ever own.” — Tom Fallenstein, Founder of Fun.com
The reason for this seems pretty simple: People needed some lighthearted fun during such a stressful time. And with the absence of in-person conventions, people turned to online retailers to fulfill their fandom merch needs. “Fun.com really encourages working professional-age and young adults to still remember to have a little fun be-
cause our jobs can get a little stressful,” says Kristi Kelly, the company’s senior costume designer. It’s not uncommon for Fun.com team members to buy the apparel available on the site for themselves. During Halloween season, the office is a sea of people wearing the brand’s knit Halloween sweaters — sometimes the favorites will even show up on the same day (the witch sweater, if you are curious). These Halloween-themed sweaters — think Ugly Christmas Sweaters, but fandom-inspired and spooky — are a perfect example of how the team uses its expertise to create something fans will love. Lead Designer Kurt Anderson designed men’s luxury knitwear at his previous job and wanted to incorporate his past experience into his new work. Beyond Christmas knitwear, Halloween was a natural choice because it’s their best-selling season. And when it comes to nonseasonal apparel, there’s no shortage of variety. Fun.com produces fandom-fused merchandise featuring more than 50 different licenses, including Care Bears, Friends, and Hocus Pocus.
Beetlejuice-inspired footwear | Source: Fun.com
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