October is the month for everything Halloween, of course. 

Michael Duganier, owner of Publico, said he wanted to bring something unique to the BullStreet District for the holiday.

So, Publico on BullStreet is back with its “Nightmare on BullStreet” pop-up, bringing the Halloween spirit back to Columbia with decorations and employees dressed as horror movie characters.

Horror movies are a staple for Halloween, and Duganier said that he wanted to theme “Nightmare on BullStreet,” after the classic movie “Nightmare on Elm Street.” 

“If you walk through the inside, you see Michael Myers, you see Freddy, you see Ghostface, … Jason,” Duganier said. “Of course, the mugs you get your drinks in are fun, creative mugs of those classic horror movies.”

Duganier said that he wanted to make his pop-up unique by only doing it at the BullStreet location.

“My building here used to be a morgue,” Duganier said of the large property that once served as the state’s asylum for the mentally ill. “And so it just made sense that when October was coming, let’s do a month-long Halloween pop-up.”

Not only does the staff dress up, but the customers choose to, too, Duganier said. 

Publico manager Sarah Hinnant said dressing up at work is one of the best parts of the pop-up. 

“A lot of people who work other jobs come in, they’re like, ‘I wish I could (dress up) at my job,’ so it’s super fun to be able to do it,” Hinnant said. 

“Nightmare on BullStreet” features different kinds of drinks and food items that are Halloween specific and based on different characters. 

Employee Ian Aitken said his favorite part about his job is embodying the characters he dresses as. In December, he dresses as The Grinch. 

“I’ve always been into storytelling pretty much, and I think that kind of relates to, like, being a character, interacting with people,” Aitken said. “ … I have to figure out like, what to say that would be funny in the character.”

“Nightmare on BullStreet” has been around since 2022, and Duganier said the success rate of it improves every single year. 

“We add a little bit each year to make things a little different, you know, but it’s been good,” Duganier said. 

Aitken said he loves to interact with guests in costume and in full character, and Duganier said people love it. 

“He dresses up as Beetlejuice, or as Michael Myers when he works,” Duganier said. “And he just goes around, and he’ll do these dance moves and … does it, like, a little bit funny.”

Although costumes are just a fun part of Halloween, Hinnant said they help the employees as a whole. 

“We get so busy that it makes it easier for us to work as a team,” Hinnant said. “I feel like because once you’re in the trenches together, it’s a little bit easier to kind of bond, I guess.”