( CNN ) -- When the jack-o'-lanterns have all burned out and the candy wrappers have been swept away , Jim Warfield wo n't be hanging a `` closed '' sign in the window of the Raven 's Grin Inn , the haunted mansion he runs in the small Illinois town of Mount Carroll . With its twisted passageways , secret tunnels and reported sightings of a `` Lady in White , '' the eerie 19th-century house draws visitors all year long -- and Warfield accommodates them . `` I always had a lot of fun with Halloween . I could n't figure out why we could only do one week or one night , '' says the 63-year-old Warfield , who escorts tours through the spooky mansion all year , even when summer is in full swing . `` Why not try to have as much fun as you can ? '' For those who relish the macabre and dressing up , October 31 does n't have to spell the end of the fright season . From ghostly attractions to Halloween specialty shops , a small contingent of businesses can make it a year-long holiday . Costumes for every season . Once November hits , Heather George , vice president of Halloween Mart , a store that sells costumes , decorations and props , barely has time to take a breath before she 's at her first trade show , getting ready to place orders for the next Halloween season . Halloween Mart , which occupies 25,000 square feet of retail space in Las Vegas , is open year-round . October is by far the store 's busiest month , she says , but business is brisk the rest of the year . `` Vegas is a party town where everyone is always dressing up . There 's always a little more fun going on . All the bars and nightclubs do themed events in the off-season , '' says George . Quiz : Know your ghosts from your goblins ? Being a year-round operation gives the massive store , which also houses a warehouse for its online business , an edge over the flurry of temporary shops that pop up during the Halloween season . `` We cater to our clientele . We 'll stock a lot more product than a temporary store will ever stock , '' George says , adding that the store 's own `` haunted hallway '' is an attraction in itself . The idea of Halloween as a year-round industry is growing , albeit slowly , she says . `` I do n't think it 's everywhere but I do see more and more types of retailers carrying this type of product in the off-season . '' Fast-growing holiday . Nearly three-quarters of Americans will celebrate Halloween this year , according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation ( NRF ) . That 's up from just over 50 % in 2005 . The NRF estimates Halloween spending will reach a record $ 8 billion this year . The holiday is also growing outside of the U.S. , notably in the UK , where Planet Retail estimates Halloween sales will rise to almost $ 549 million this year . Patrick Konopelski , president of the Haunted Attraction Association , an organization representing more than 2,500 haunts , links the ever-growing popularity of Halloween to the desire to be entertained . Read more : How to shoot frighteningly good photos this Halloween . `` People today more than ever want to experience life , '' he says . Halloween-inspired attractions like haunts are n't just a passing fad . They 're `` now part of the culture , '' says Konopelski . Year-round attractions are still in the minority , but that 's mainly due to their business models . It just is n't financially feasible for large attractions , which can be expensive to run , to stay open all year , Konopelski says . For example , Shocktoberfest , a scream park he owns , employs as many as 100 people . `` When you have that many people on payroll you have to put through thousands and thousands of people , and a short season is incredibly efficient , '' he says . But the demand is there , he says . `` This generation is a non-spectator generation . They want to participate in an experience . '' For a small operator like Warfield , it makes sense to keep going the way he has . Up to a dozen people might help out around Halloween , but for the rest of the year , he 's a one-man show . Whether in June or October , he starts every tour in the same place . Standing in the parlor , he begins telling the history of the house of horrors in his gravelly voice . And even though he 's been at it for a quarter-century , it does n't get tiresome . `` I never get tired of hearing people laughing and screaming , '' he says . `` I have tremendous fun . No one has more fun than I do . I hope to be doing this when I 'm 95 years old . ''
Halloween is just a wild weekend for most , but for others it 's a year-long occupation . Comment: Halloween Mart , which occupies a 25,000 square feet store in Las Vegas , is open 365 days a year .