IRVING, Texas, Sept. 1 — Michaels is betting that Halloween is better when it lasts longer. On August 31, the Irving, Texas-based arts and crafts retailer announced the launch of “Hobbyween,” a seasonal initiative that frames the holiday as a chance for hands-on hobbies, fiber arts, and personalized decor rather than just costume shopping. The announcement, delivered via press release from The Michaels Companies, Inc., positions the new assortment as the company’s largest Halloween crafting lineup to date.
It includes hundreds of exclusive DIY projects spanning spooky crochet, embroidery, Paint by Number, group craft kits, and DIY home accents. The collection is available now in all Michaels stores and online at Michaels.com and Michaels.ca.
Hobbyween builds on the momentum of “Summerween,” the trend of celebrating Halloween early, and reflects a broader cultural shift toward analog pastimes and nostalgic traditions identified in Michaels’ 2026 Creativity Trend Report. According to that report, 70% of Michaels shoppers say they DIY their own Halloween décor. The enthusiasm is also driving significant year-over-year search spikes on Michaels.com, though the company did not disclose specific search figures.
Stacey Shively, Chief Merchandising Officer at Michaels, framed the initiative as an evolution of the early-Halloween trend. “Summerween is about celebrating Halloween early, but Hobbyween is about celebrating it more creatively,” Shively said in the press release.
“Consumers are embracing the longer Halloween season as an opportunity to discover new crafts and build hands-on traditions together. That’s what makes Hobbyween so exciting, it gives everyone a new way to make Halloween their own.” The company, which operates more than 1,300 stores across 49 states and Canada, describes itself as the leading destination for creating and celebrating in North America. Michaels also owns Artistree, a manufacturer of custom and specialty framing merchandise.
Founded in 1973 and headquartered in Irving, Texas, the company’s stated purpose is “to fuel the joy of creativity and celebration.” The trend insights behind Hobbyween come from Michaels’ 2026 Creativity Trend Report, which combines proprietary customer data with third-party search trend analysis to identify emerging creative and seasonal behaviors. Year-over-year comparisons reference the time periods analyzed for the 2026 report. The announcement was distributed by PRNewswire, with media contact Kim Kornfeld at [email protected].
As the Halloween retail calendar stretches earlier each year, the question for Michaels will be whether shoppers who start crafting in late summer carry that momentum through to October 31 — and whether the longer season translates into more projects, not just earlier ones.
