Shopping Waukee Yields Halloween Decorating Finds

It used to be that come Halloween night, you bought a 99-cent paper pumpkin, taped it to your front door, put out your jack o'lantern and called it a holiday. Not so much anymore.

These days, folks are going to great lengths to deck the halls with Halloween splendor that no paper pumpkin could possible compete with.

According to the National Retail Federation's 2011 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey conducted by BIGresearch, seven in 10 Americans will celebrate Halloween this year, the most in its nine-year survey history. The average person will spend about $72.31 on decorations, costumes and candy.

More people than ever before will stock up on decorations for the home, spending an average of $19.79 per person, second only to spending on Christmas decorations.

So what does that entail? Well, it all depends on your tastes. We hit up four Waukee shops in search of festive, yet affordable Halloween decor. Whether you're into the fake cobwebs and Styrofoam tombstones or something a little more refined, we found a little something for everyone.

At on the Waukee Triangle, we found fun pumpkin screens for the front door by Season Screenings by Peri Woltjer — who is based in West Des Moines, by the way. They range in price from $42.99 to $65.99 and can be reused season after season.

Also at Pin Oak, grapevine and leaf wreaths ($39.99 and up), copper pumpkins and gourds ($17.99 and up) and even stuffed scarecrows ($10.99-$47.99) made for a fun, not scary, look for inside and outside the home.

Terry Hopkins, assistant manager at Pin Oak Gallery, said people started scooping up decorations as early as September.

"It's not Halloween as much as it is fall decorations," she said. "We've been selling a lot of artwork and hangings, a lot of seasonal items."

Down the street at , owner Lyn Shafer has seasonal creations made to order for customers seeking to celebrate with unique flower arrangements.

Shafer said different containers have been popular. She's even using pumpkins and gourds in the arrangements. Some have a little camp to them. Using sunflowers, ferns, spider webs and a sense of humor, Shafer created an arrangement ala "Little Shop of Horrors" that retails for $27.50.

"We seem to have quite a few people asking for flowers the week before Halloween," she said."People are asking for more interesting containers, something more than just a basket or vase and they're wanting more than just the traditional fall colors like golds, brown and yellows."

Shafer said one popular item right now is fall tulips. She said tulips in oranges, red, peach, yellow and varigated colors are selling fast.

If you're more budget conscious, there are still some great deals to be had. At in Waukee, we found two metal pumpkin lanterns ($2.99 each), a metal door hanger ($1.99) and a metal pumpkin plant spike ($1.99). Total with tax: $10.77.

If you want to go the spooky, yet affordable route, head next door to the Dollar Tree, where we picked up three Halloween-themed doormats, three stone tombstones, three Styrofoam tombstones, one "cemetery" sign, a hanging paper chandelier, a plastic cauldron, a bag of tealights and a lighter all for $14.84 with tax.