Clever Halloween Display Conjures Up Spirit of Dead Retail Stores

If you’re missing your favorite retail store since its closure, a Rhode Island man has a place for you to come and leave flowers in its honor.

Josh Patenaude recently built a retail graveyard for Halloween in the lawn of his Smithfield, Rhode Island home.

The graveyard features headstones that show the logo of a now-defunct retail store and the dates that it opened and closed.

Among the stores represented in the display are Radio Shack and Sears along with a variety of local stores recognizable to those living in Rhode Island.

The area near Patenaude’s home has been hit hard with store closures and departures in recent years

WBZ News in Boston recently featured the graveyard on its website. The TV station noted the inclusion of the Christmas Tree Shops, a local store that closed in August after 50 years in business.

Another notable tombstone was dedicated to the Pawtucket Red Sox, the former Triple-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox. The team departed for Worcester, Mass. in 2020 have being in Pawtucket since the 1973 season.

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Patenaude creates all of the tombstones for the graveyard. He has been putting up the display for a few years now, adding more stores each year.

Patenaude’s hard work is being appreciated by the line of cars traveling past his family’s home to see the display. It’s also connecting with locals who enjoy the nostalgia of businesses that are no longer in the area.

“All the feels from home. I love this,” Ed Trenn commented on TikTok.