SALEM — You'd hardly know there's a global financial crisis by the turnout in downtown Salem over the weekend.
Packed parking garages, a busy ferry and masses of shoppers combined to make the first official weekend of Haunted Happenings a profitable one.
"We beat our expectations (for the weekend), and the crowds are spending money," said Trudy Stavros, one of the owners of Signatures, a women's clothing shop on Essex Street. "This weekend was very busy considering it was the first weekend."
Stavros said the season seems to be starting earlier. Halloween visitors started showing up as early as late September because many couldn't find hotel rooms in October.
Thanks to a quirk of the calendar, this year's Haunted Happenings parade fell earlier than usual.
And because Halloween falls on a Friday, many visitors plan to stay through the weekend, handing businesses a rare five-weekend Halloween season.
Retailers aren't the only ones with high Halloween hopes.
The Salem ferry carried hundreds of passengers from Boston to Salem on Saturday. The 11 a.m. Boston to Salem run took 132 passengers — 17 short of a complete sell-out.
"We had an exceptionally busy day on Saturday," said Bill Walker of Water Transportation, which operates the city-owned ferry. "To me it felt like it was a little busier than last year."
The city's two parking garages also recorded solid figures. A flat $20 charge helped the garages raise approximately $15,560 on Saturday and $8,480 on Sunday, according to Parking Director Jim Hacker.
The garages didn't sell out, and Sunday was a relatively slow day, Hacker said. Then again, the city was also competing with the Topsfield Fair and both New England Patriots football and Red Sox playoff games on Sunday.
Still, the vast majority of Haunted Happenings events — a German Octoberfest, children's day on Salem Common, a car show and the Haunted Biz Baz — are yet to come, said Kate Fox, the executive director of Destination Salem, the city's tourism department.
"This first weekend was almost a lull before the real emphasis on programming steps up," Fox said.
Fox said many visitors booked their hotels seven to 12 months ahead of time — before the economic downturn.
"They've already paid for it; they're coming," Fox said. "What could be affected is how they spend money when they're here."
At Signatures, Stavros has noticed customers shying away from high-end items in favor of sweaters and household products, like candles.
But the good news is, they're still buying, she said.
Even if they do spend less, crowds are still good for business, said Rinus Oosthoek, executive director of the Salem Chamber of Commerce.
"If you have 1,000 people in town versus 100 people, it's easier to see 1,000 will spend a little more than 100."
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