A Salon Owner Turned a £2,000 Smashed Window Into the Most Unlikely Halloween Display

What should have been an expensive mess in a salon front window became the centre of a Halloween display instead. After finding the glass smashed, Kayli O'Connell realised the cracks looked like a giant spider's web and decided to work with it.

Kayli O'Connell said she was hit with a massive shock when she discovered the front window of her beauty salon had been damaged. The 38-year-old, from Bradford, West Yorkshire, said the salon had been open for almost a year and she had never had any issues before, which made the whole thing feel especially strange.

She said an object had been thrown at the window and left outside on the pavement. The window was double glazed, and she said the damage had gone through both sides of the glass. What annoyed her most was the cost. She expects the repair to come to about £2,000.

O'Connell said the incident was stressful and left her asking questions she could not answer. She said she did not know whether the business had been targeted or whether it had simply been a random act. She also said she could not understand what someone would get from deliberately damaging something that belonged to someone else. At the same time, she pointed out that no one had been hurt and nothing had been taken.

A broken window became the centrepiece

The practical problem helped shape what happened next. O'Connell said the replacement glass would have to be made to measure, which meant the broken window was going to stay as it was for four weeks. Instead of treating it as something to hide, she looked at the pattern in the shattered pane and saw an opportunity.

To her, the break looked like a near perfect spider's web, so she decided it could become a Halloween window. She designed the display herself and turned the cracked glass into the main feature, building the rest of the decorations around it. The finished scene included pumpkins, bats and spooky writing, with the smashed section forming the web effect.

She said she hired someone to paint the display using a virtual reality headset, and she was really happy with how it came out. In her view, it looked exactly how she wanted it to look. What started as damage she could not immediately fix became something she felt proud to show off instead.

Her answer to the vandal went viral

O'Connell shared the transformed window on TikTok, where the video has picked up more than 79,000 views. In the clip, she presented the display as turning a smashed salon window into Halloween décor, and the response has given the story another twist.

She said people absolutely love the display, and she even ended up thanking the person responsible because the timing worked so neatly with Halloween. O'Connell said she hopes the person who did it walks past the salon and sees what she made of it. If it was done on purpose, she wants them to realise the damage did not have the result they might have wanted.

For her, the display is a kind of payback. She said the best response was to make the best of a bad situation and to find something positive in it where possible. The window still needs replacing, but before that happens, the smashed glass has had an unexpected second life as the salon's seasonal showpiece.

West Yorkshire Police have been contacted for comment.

What a broken shop window usually means

A smashed shopfront is more than a cosmetic problem. Plate glass can leave tiny shards well beyond the obvious break, weaken the remaining pane, and expose a business to weather, theft, pests, and energy loss. The first priority is usually safety: keep people back, clear the area, and stop anyone touching cracked edges or loose pieces.

Most businesses then use an emergency glazier or a temporary board-up service. A board-up is exactly what it sounds like: the opening is covered with timber or another rigid sheet until replacement glass arrives. That buys time, protects stock, and makes the space safer to work around. Photos of the damage, a list of affected items, and quick contact with an insurer or landlord can also help with the next steps.

Why people turn repairs into displays

A boarded window is highly visible, so many businesses try to make it look intentional rather than abandoned. Seasonal displays are a common fix because they turn an awkward blank surface into something playful, especially around holidays when people already expect themed decorations.

This is really a form of visual merchandising. The aim is to catch attention, signal that the business is still open if it is, and give passers-by a reason to stop, photograph it, or share it online. Simple ideas often work best: a clear theme, bold shapes, a limited colour palette, and a short message that can be understood at a glance. Handmade elements can be especially effective because they feel spontaneous and human.

How to do it safely and usefully

If you ever need to cover a damaged window, treat decoration as the final layer, not the first. Make sure the opening is properly secured before adding paint, paper, fabric, foam props, or lights. Avoid anything that blocks emergency exits, creates trip hazards, or could blow loose outside. Battery lights are often easier and safer than running temporary cables across a floor.

It also helps to think about practical signage. A temporary notice can tell customers whether the business is open, which door to use, or how to book online while repairs are underway. Keep wording large and simple. If children are likely to stop and look, avoid exposed staples, sharp fixings, and anything easy to pull off. A good temporary display should do two jobs at once: protect the premises and make the disruption feel managed rather than chaotic.