Local costume shop calls out Spirit Halloween chain for putting up large billboard near their business

CHICAGO - A longtime Chicago mom-and-pop costume shop is fighting back against a larger competitor.

An employee for Chicago Costume was not happy to see Spirit Halloween put a large billboard up across from their business, located at 4727 West Montrose Avenue in Old Irving Park.

The worker tweeted about it to encourage people to shop local, and the post took on a life of its own.

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Since the tweet gained traction, many people have been coming out in support of Chicago Costume, a business that's been around since 1976.

The employee said there are so many things people can buy at local businesses that they can't get at a big store like Spirit.

"What you're not going to find at Spirit are your custom-made masks. What you're not going to find at Spirit are an entire like family of artists here working in this warehouse. What you're not going to find at Spirit is honestly someone who will look at you and smile and say ‘Hello, how was your day?’" the employee said. "At Chicago Costume, you can find that because its a family environment."

Chicago Costume said the most popular costume they're seeing this year is Squid Game.