By Todd Travis
For store owners Cory and Scott Steenbergen, fall has always been a happy, feel-good season. A time where the changing weather and the holidays seem to brighten people’s mood. As they noticed the way people seemed to become more carefree and cheery around this time of year, they thought they should take some of their passion for the season and turn it into something they could share with others. And so in late August, Greenwood Happy Haunts was opened.
“We have always loved Halloween and the whole season of fall. The sights and smells really just make you feel happy. With everything going on the world now it’s nice to have something that puts some smiles on people’s faces and that’s what we’re really about. A lot of people come into our store, and we hear the laughter and that makes us feel good,” Steenbergen shared.
The store offers a variety of home decor items that are unique and customized to each customer. With Scott’s background in cabinetmaking, he does a lot of woodwork for the designs in the store. Cory uses her experience with vinyl and glassware to create her designs. Most of what you see in the store is for sale even though much of it also serves as decorations that the Steenbergens have created for their own enjoyment.
Before opening Greenwood Happy Haunts, the Steenbergens were running their 68-year-old family business Greenwood Marble and Tile. Some of the struggles that came from the pandemic actually opened up the possibility for the couple to open up Greenwood Happy Haunts while still running Greenwood Marble and Tile.
“My grandfather started the business and then my dad and his brothers had it before they retired. Now my husband and I run it, even though a lot has changed since the pandemic. Because of some supply issues and having a lot of tiles discontinue or drop, we noticed that we had some room to work with in our showrooms and we are taking advantage of that,” Steenbergen said.
The idea for this store is to actually become a year-round attraction. They will be able to bring people the joy of Halloween and the fall season every month of the year. It’s meant to be an experience to hit all five senses for anyone who enters.
“We do displays and scenes for people’s entertainment. Everything is for sale in our store, but we also decorate with those items too. I have classic movies playing at the store and you’re automatically greeted by our animatronic werewolf ‘wolfie’ when you come in. You’ll also smell our apple cinnamon plug-in, so you get the scent of the season as well. Being a tile shop, we have shower displays so we have a skeleton in the shower with a scrub brush and a shower cap. We have things all over every nook and cranny of space that we have here,” Steenbergen shared.
The store carries many unique items and takes custom design orders.
“We do made-to-order everything. Whether it be wine bottles, glasses or signs – my husband just completed a tombstone that a customer requested. So if someone wants something that they have not seen out or seen at our store we’ll certainly do what we can to make that happen for them. Our goal is really to get to know our customers and build relationships rather than just being a transactional interaction,” Steenbergen noted.
The store is located at 248 Market Plaza, Greenwood, IN 46142 or you can visit their Facebook page: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082951461526
