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At the intersection of Alma School and Elliot roads in Chandler, it's Halloween 365 days a year.

You might not know it though. At first glance, it looks like just another suburban shopping area. But die-hard fans call it the horror corridor.

Spanning three shopping centers, the horror corridor is home to a trio of spooky small businesses including a marketplace for local vendors, a bakery and a record store. They ended up at the same intersection by pure coincidence, but now, the owners have cultivated their own horror community, happily directing like-minded customers to one another's businesses.

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At Terror Trader, horror fans 'will always be accepted here'

At the heart of the horror corridor, on the southeast corner of Alma School and Elliot is Terror Trader, perhaps the most prominent shop for horror fans in the Valley. With gore and fake blood around every corner, for those whom owner Jason Swarr refers to as "Halloween 365" fans, walking into Terror Trader feels like a homecoming. He said some of his regular customers hang out in the store from open to close, catching up with like-minded friends and enjoying the dark and macabre atmosphere.

Swarr, a retired U.S. Marine veteran, opened Terror Trader two years ago with his wife, Gina. He compared his experience in the Marine Corps to his experience with the horror community, lovingly referring to both types of people as "a band of misfits."

"I've always felt that's kind of the crowd I hang with, even as a kid. Here in the Arizona horror community, it is amazing, because we're a lot of introverts," Swarr said. "A lot of them, they're just so used to being in their shells and not coming out of the shell. Well, we've kind of created a community here where all walks of life, everybody can come hang out. You can come dressed in cosplay on any random Wednesday in June, we don't care. You will always be accepted here."

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Terror Trader is set up more like a spooky antique mall than a typical Spirit Halloween. Local vendors rent out space to sell their goods, from t-shirts and stickers to more niche items like jewelry and figurines. The store is also interspersed with Instagrammable monsters such as an 8-foot-tall Yeti.

"Our store is super visual, and that's something we continue to strive for, so when you walk in there, your eyes light up and your mood is brightened. And you know, for us horror lovers, it's our home," Swarr said.

Swarr attributes the business model's success, in part, to the pandemic.

When people were forced back into their homes, he said, many turned to old hobbies like art, both to stay sane and in many cases, as a money-making side hustle selling via Etsy or elsewhere. Now, some of those Etsy artists have been able to quit their former jobs and sell spooky goods as a full-time profession. Terror Trader helps by providing a physical store where the art can get in front of a larger audience.

The partnership works both ways. Some of the more popular online sellers already had dedicated fan bases before selling their work in the store, which helped to increase Terror Trader's foot traffic by drawing those fans, who then discover other local horror artists at the shop.

Terror Trader also participates in a number of horror-themed events, from arts and crafts inside the store to booths at conventions like Mad Monster. This year, they're putting on the first-ever Gathering of the Ghouls: a two-day event at the Mesa Convention Center dedicated to all things horror. The event will take place Aug. 26-27 and will include over 100 vendors, recreated horror movie sets, cosplay contests and more.

"I'm 50 years old. Life isn't always that serious, you know, you can have a good time and still make a living and do business. Life's too short. Everybody's hourglass is running out of sand quick, so let's just have fun and enjoy the things that make us happy," Swarr said.

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Spooky's Swirls is a macabre bakery and horror museum

Just across the street, Spooky's Swirls is a bakery-meets-little shop of horrors. The bakery is known in part for its dedicated gluten-free kitchen, but even before the Celiac community discovered them, Spooky's Swirls was welcomed by horror fanatics all over the Valley.

The shop received national attention when baker Lola Forbes appeared on Food Network's "Halloween Baking Championship" and made the TV judges cringe at her terrifying toenail-shaped desserts.

Despite this claim to fame, Forbes said Spooky's Swirls' role in the "horroridor" is more spooky than scary.

"We knew that we wanted to go with a horror aesthetic, I think even before we were sure that we wanted to do gluten-free, like before we thought about the menu or anything. It definitely started with a background in love for horror and Halloween," said Forbes, who co-owns the shop with Chris Szydlowski.

The bakery's sweets are decorated and named after horror movies and characters, such as Ghostface from "Scream" and the Hatbox Ghost from "Haunted Mansion." And around the corner from the bakery counter is a mini horror film museum with a rotating collection of movie props from cult classics like "Beetlejuice" and "Carrie." Many of the pieces on display come from Szydlowski's personal collection, which she began on her own long before Spooky's Swirls was even an idea.

"Horror has always been my favorite genre, and I really kind of leaned into that. Over the years, I narrowed down my collection to mainly horror pieces that I really felt the connection with," Szydlowski said. "The thought of actually being able to display those and share them with people instead of just kind of having them in my home was very, very appealing."

They open at 9 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, making it a popular first stop for breakfast before fans head to Terror Trader when they open at noon, or on to a celebrity autograph signing event at Asylum Records just across the street.

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Asylum Records brings together horror and music fans

Scott Robenalt's record store is a haven for all types of pop culture fans, from horror fanatics to music fans. He runs the store with his beloved cat Hopper, who's been coming to work with Robenalt for the last nine years to help greet customers.

The interior of Asylum Records is big enough to house hundreds of CDs, vinyl records and memorabilia, but small enough to be inviting, and not overwhelming. Spare a glance upwards toward the ceiling and you'll see dozens of autographed records, instruments and other memorabilia. At the center of the store sits a giant autographed pentagram that was once used as a tour and album cover prop by the '70s-'80s punk band Plasmatics.

The record store carries all types of music, but they also appeal to horror fans largely through in-store autograph signings and meet and greets with actors. On signing days, Robenalt moves aside some of the t-shirt displays to make room for the celebrities. Rather than a typical record store signing where fans have to line up early and hope to be first, Robenalt hosts guests for an entire day and invites fans to come say hi whenever they have the chance, similar to having a booth at a convention.

"I do this pretty much to stay happy and just kind of give back. I like doing it for people. I like seeing the smiles on kids' faces," Robenalt said.

Some of Asylum Records' upcoming events include a signing with Eileen Dietz from "The Exorcist" on Sept. 15 and 16 and Daniel Roebuck from "The Munsters" on Oct. 6 and 7. More information on the signings can be found on Asylum Records' Facebook page.

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How to visit the Chandler horror corridor

Terror Trader, Spooky's Swirls and Asylum Records are located in Chandler at the intersection of Alma School and Elliot Roads. All three locations have plenty of free parking in lots out front. Some visitors also choose to walk from one to the next.

Terror Trader: 941 West Elliot Road, Suite 3, Chandler. terrortrader.com.

Spooky's Swirls: 3029 N. Alma School Road, Suite 117, Chandler. 707-776-6597, spookysswirls.com.

Asylum Records: 2990 N. Alma School Road, Suite 5, Chandler. 480-964-6301, facebook.com/asylumrecords.

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Reach the reporter at endia.fontanez@gannett.com. Follow @EndiaFontanez on X, formerly Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Horror-themed businesses in metro Phoenix create community for fans