In a recent press release, Universal casually announced the location and opening date of the Halloween Horror Nights 34 Tribute Store coming to Universal Studios Florida.
Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store
What Is the Tribute Store?
The Tribute Store is a heavily-themed store with its own backstory and refrences to HHN lore. It will be the home for the majority of the Halloween Horror Nights merchandise for the year, though for many guests the store is an attraction by itself. The backstory of the Tribute Store is often unrelated to the other aspects of the event, but it often has callbacks to previous stores and carries its own lore.
Where is the Tribute Store?
In past years, tribute stores have been set-up in Williams of Hollywood. Most recently, it was used as a UOAP and Team Member clearance store, taking the place the normal Summer Tribute Store. Last year, the Halloween Horror Nights 33 Tribute Store was located next to Revenge of the Mummy and across from Gramercy Park, with an entrance located at the Macy’s facade on the corner of Delancey Street and 57th Avenue. However, Universal has recently announced that the Tribute Store’s location will be different this year.
Beginning August 26 at Universal Orlando Resort, guests can step inside the remains of the abandoned Museum of Antiquities in this year’s all-new Halloween Horror Nights Tribute Store. This will take over the Sahara Traders store and the nearby arcade in the New York area of Universal Studios Florida.
What is the story?
Guests will enter the highly-themed retail space through the main atrium of the museum and venture into the decrepit exhibit halls where an ancient evil was once unleashed…. and may still be lurking in the shadows while shopping for the latest Halloween Horror Nights merchandise.
Palace Arcade and Sahara Traders
In a recent update, we noted both the arcade was closed with blue tarps blocking the windows and barricades posted outside. Now, we know that this closure and other nearby work is likely due to the new location for the Halloween Horror Nights 34 Tribute Store. Although Sahara Traders is still open, some changes have already been made.
The display shelf located in the back of the store has been rotated away from its usual position. This is likely to accommodate heavier flows of traffic from Palace Arcade, which we now know will be a part of the Tribute Store. There is also a pile of crates that appear to be returning from the HHN decor from last year. They are being shipped to the Museum of Antiquities from Carey, Ohio. This city is the real-life hometown of one of the original HHN creators, so it is often referenced as a recurring setting for houses and scare zones. These crates helped introduce the Tribute Store backstory last year, and it looks like that story is being expanded upon with the Museum of Antiquities name and theme.
This new storyline also seems to be under investigation by Boris Shuster, as several interesting pieces of lore have been added to his office. The first section of his window display includes a memo from management of the Museum of Antiquities to all staff, so connections will likely be drawn between Boris and the HHN 34 Tribute Store. Previous Tribute Stores have had mentions to a connected storyline involving Boris investigating haunted idols and relics.
For an example, you can watch our complete video tour of the HHN 33 Tribute Store from last year, which included a few subtle nods to Boris:
Are you excited for a new Tribute Store Location? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
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