There are some places in El Paso that you never forget, even if you never actually got the chance to go inside.
For me, one of those places was People’s Emporium.
I remember always wanting to check out that old costume shop on Yandell, but I never got around to it before it closed. And now that I’ve heard some of the ghost stories surrounding the building, I’m a little upset I missed my chance!
Because as it turns out, People’s Emporium wasn’t just known for its costumes and unusual gifts. It also had a reputation for being haunted!
Remember El Paso’s People’s Emporium?
If you grew up in El Paso, especially around the Central El Paso area, there’s a good chance you remember People’s Emporium.
The two-story building sat at the corner of Yandell and Birch, and it was basically a dream come true for anyone who loved Halloween or anything a little unusual.
Inside, you could find costumes, books, gifts, and even occult supplies. It wasn’t exactly your average costume shop, which is probably why so many El Pasoans still remember it.
Heather Shade/ Lost El Paso Paranormal LLCHeather Shade/ Lost El Paso Paranormal LLC
I always thought the building looked interesting from the outside, and I wanted to see what kind of strange and spooky things were hiding inside. Unfortunately, the shop eventually closed, and I never got my chance.
But the stories surrounding People’s Emporium are almost as fascinating as the shop itself.
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Was El Paso’s People’s Emporium Really Haunted?
Now, this is where things get interesting.
People’s Emporium apparently had quite the reputation for paranormal activity, although nobody seems to know exactly how those rumors started.
To learn more about the alleged hauntings, I reached out to local paranormal author and ghost tour expert Heather Shade of Lost El Paso Paranormal LLC.
While Shade never got the opportunity to conduct a ghost tour inside People’s Emporium, she was familiar with the stories surrounding the building.
According to Shade, people reported seeing strange floating lights and hazy figures moving around inside the shop late at night. And if that wasn’t creepy enough, employees reportedly talked about a spirit that liked to hide among the bookshelves!
Imagine browsing for a Halloween costume and finding out you might not be the only one wandering through the aisles!
Shade also described the building as having an intense atmosphere that visitors could feel as soon as they walked through the door.
Of course, none of these alleged paranormal encounters have been verified, but they certainly add another layer of mystery to an already unusual El Paso landmark.
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The Haunted Legacy of El Paso’s People’s Emporium
Even though People’s Emporium has been closed for years, the stories surrounding the old shop are still fascinating.
I still remember passing that building on Yandell and thinking there was something mysterious about it. Now I’m wondering what it must have been like to actually walk through those doors, especially knowing all the stories about what people claimed to have seen.
Maybe the building really did have a few ghostly residents, or maybe its unusual merchandise and historic surroundings helped create the perfect setting for a good ghost story.
Either way, People’s Emporium remains one of those pieces of El Paso history that deserves to be remembered.
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