Death stalks horror shop

After nearly 30 years of helping locals scare each other with fancy dress and realistic props, the much-loved Fantasy Factory will soon close its doors for the last time.
The iconic shop, established in 1987, was founded in Noosa and was the first party shop of its kind on the Sunshine Coast.
Fantasy Factory owner Stefan Koch opened his second store in the Sunshine Plaza in 1994, but the rising costs of operating inside a shopping centre saw him return to a single store in Noosa Junction.
With Halloween approaching, Stefan said he’s seen a shift in people’s buying habits with more and more people taking up the tradition.
“When we started out with our business, Halloween was not a celebration which was embraced here in Australia,” he said.
“Back then we also sold more decoration for USA Independence day than for Australia Day so to boost Halloween we started up with a competition for best Halloween costume and increasingly people got into it.
“Our last two competitions were held at the then called Cafe Paradiso with our chief witches being the judges and hundreds of kids entering the competition.”
When it came to Independence Day, Stefan said the election of George Bush saw a decline in 4 July celebration decorations and a rise in Australia Day sales.
The store’s biggest day in the past 27 years was New Year’s Eve 1999.
“I don’t think there was one resident in Noosa which did not come to our shop to prepare themselves for the new millennium,” Stefan said.
He said he is looking forward to a change and wanted to thank the Noosa community for celebrating with him and his team over the past 27 years, and to retail assistant Dani Halmos who he said has played a pivotal role in keeping the shop open for so many years.
The Fantasy Factory will be open for a while longer with no official date set yet, and costumes are available for purchase at clearance prices.