Coffin shop holds Halloween sale

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The owner of a Minnesota coffin shop said he is holding a Halloween sale, offering full-sized coffins for as little as $100.

Mike Zoff, 57, who opened Affordable Coffins & Artery in St. Paul in January to sell the wooden coffins he makes in his garage, said the business has been profitable enough that he quit his old job as real estate broker to sell coffins full-time, the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reported Thursday.

Zoff said customers often use the coffins for unusual purposes, such as one patron who wanted a coffin with legs to use as a coffee table and several who have asked for shelves in their coffins to allow them to store books.

"It just keeps taking different turns, this business," Zoff said.

Zoff said he is starting a special Halloween sale at the shop, offering his most basic wooden coffins for $100, a sharp discount from the usual $295-$780 price tag for his coffins. He said he is marketing some of his less-study early works as holiday decorations.

"It's an undeniable segment of the business, away from the more traditional use," he said. "The Halloween sale thing, I've been getting a call or two a day."