A trip to the 2019 Texas Haunters Convention

This weekend has been SPOOKTACULAR. I made it out to the inaugural Texas Haunters Convention in Mesquite, TX.  I do not have much history related to convention attendance, so I’m never quite sure what to expect when I arrive at these events. It’s good to go into something with a sense of wonder instead of expecting too much or too little.

The convention is a cash and carry style two day Halloween convention geared towards haunt owners, industry professionals, home haunters, families, trick-or-treaters, and Halloween lovers (I fall into the latter category)! The event is open to the public with the purchase of a ticket.  There are also live demos, classes and make-and-takes sessions that are available to attendees for an additional fee.

I had so much fun seeing all of the AMAZING and talented crafters, creators, and haunters at this event.  The event had over 70 booths consisting of vendors, haunters, guests, and more.

What made this event even more enjoyable was spending it with my Halloween friends! I FINALLY got to meet my inspiration behind starting my very own blog, the queen of Halloween herself, and in my opinion a total internet Halloween celeb – Miranda, the ghoul behind Spooky Little Halloween!

Naturally, attending events like this we were bound to run into another fellow Halloween friend and we both had the pleasure of hanging out with and meeting the Darling Ghoul herself! The Darling Ghoul is a graphic designer that promotes spooky as being always in season. Check out her Etsy shop for your must have Halloween home accessories, purses and more (I ordered her spirit board hand bag and I saw it in person this weekend and it is gorgeous!).

Let’s now talk about the convention! I was pleasantly surprised at the good balance of vendors and booth. There was a good assortment of vendors to suite every Halloween lovers style whether it is dark and mystic, creepy and horrifying or cute and dainty. I saw artists that cater to everyone’s unique love for Halloween.

The event is also family friendly (and they have a kids costume contest!). Sometimes these events can be a bit too nightmarish for kids, but we saw lots of families in costumes enjoying some trick-or-treats in July. The event was also consistently busy but not so busy to the point that you cannot fit down the aisles and browse. It was busy enough to be good for business and for you to have your own personal space and feel comfortable. The good kind of busy!

One booth that definitely caught my attention was on the very end of an aisle called: Missing Finger Productions.  The owner of MFP and his crew specializes in Halloween related props, masks, and décor.  they make products from a variety of materials including: resin props, resin masks, latex foam filled props, silicone masks, and gypsum display pieces.  So YES the items you see in the photo above and below are all HANDMADE! *GASP* These are amazing works of Halloween art!

We learned that the owner actually lost part of his own finger working at his craft yet he continues to create after the tragedy (hence the name “Missing Finger Productions”). Talk about dedication and a commitment to Halloween – MFP has it! Give them a follow on Instagram and Facebook as well if you’re just as inspired by their work as I am. This stuff is worthy of being in movies!

Zombie Gear also caught my attention with their large selection of jewelry, accessories, enamel pins and home decor. Zombie Gear has an actual store front shop in Richland Hills, TX. The shop specializes in gothic-punk-horror-metaphysical merch (all the good stuff, right?!) and shoppers can find everything from clothing, footwear, costumes, masks, sages, crystals, and other novelties there. If you live nearby, go check it out for me because I only got a taste of their products at the convention.

I ended up treating myself to some goodies (a decal and enamel pin) from Haunt Shirts. Their style matched my own Halloween style and I was drawn to their booth. Haunt Shirts was created from an obsession, for Halloween, haunted houses, horror, sci-fi, good music, and craft beer (I too love good music and craft beer). Their mission is to provide other individuals with unique wearable designs that show off their love of all things dark, scary, macabre, creepy, different, and fun.

If you like what you see and can’t make it out to the event you can order their products on their website.

I stopped by the Metalhead Threads booth and saw that they specialize in a schmorgezborg of Halloween creations including laser cut metal designs (everything from home decor and signs to pumpkin head trailer hitches!), masks and custom printed tees.

Nothing like a little Krampus in July (thanks Metalhead Threads!).

This event was such a special summertime treat! We do not have any events or conventions in Tulsa, OK where I live that celebrates haunts and Halloween in the same way.

It was totally worth the trip being able to experience this convention in it’s first year. I can see it growing and becoming even more well received with more vendors and classes in the coming years.

Oh yeah, and Miranda and I got into some shenanigans and were thrown into a haunted jail for being too spooky…

Any event that is full of like-minded Halloween lovers and addicts alike make for something great! It was a Halloween dream getting to spend time with Spooky Little Halloween and Darling Ghoul as we were immersed in the Texas Haunters Convention experience together.

Next off on my Halloween travel bucket list…maybe Midsummer Scream 2020!

Yee-haw! That’s all folks! Stay spooky!

Callie Jo