GoKawiilThirteenth Floor Entertainment Group grows haunted-house side hustle into multi-property empire
Chris Stafford and Warren Conard opened a self-funded haunted house in a Denver strip mall in 2002, charging about $15 per ticket. The venture has grown into Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group, which now runs 18 seasonal Halloween attractions along with axe-throwing venues, escape rooms, and an immersive art installation, employing about 80 full-time staff and roughly 4,500 seasonal workers last Halloween.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The company's expansion from a single strip-mall attraction into a multi-format experiential entertainment business illustrates how niche seasonal businesses can scale into diversified operations. Its move into Christmas-themed attractions suggests an effort to reduce reliance on the narrow Halloween season and generate revenue year-round, according to Stafford's comments to People.
- Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group began in 2002 as a self-funded Denver haunted house.
- The company now operates 18 Halloween properties plus axe-throwing venues, escape rooms, and art installations.
- It employed about 80 full-time staff and 4,500 seasonal workers last Halloween, and is expanding into Christmas attractions.
Source: entrepreneur.com — Jonathan Small, 2026-10-22
Published there as: “This Former Banker Opened a ‘Terrifying’ Haunted House in a Strip Mall as a Side Hustle. 24 Years Later, It’s a Multimillion-Dollar Empire.”
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