The Haunted Payless Shoe Store: Banning's Famous Ghost Child
The Payless Shoe Source in Banning, California's Sun Lakes village shopping center gained notoriety as a haunted location before its permanent closure. Located within this ordinary retail space, employees and customers reportedly encountered the ghost of a young boy who appeared primarily in the store's break room during opening and closing hours. The spectral presence was so disturbing that some staff members quit shortly after being hired.
Various theories circulate about the phantom child's identity. Some believe he was a boy who died in a traffic accident after running into the parking lot when his mother wouldn't purchase shoes he wanted. Others connect the haunting to a young man found murdered near the store in the 1990s. As years passed, witnesses reported increasingly vivid encounters, describing not just the boy but also an elderly female apparition who would mysteriously vanish after being greeted by staff.
Key Takeaways
The Payless Shoe Store in Banning reportedly housed the ghost of a young boy who appeared primarily during opening and closing hours.
Paranormal activity apparently intensified as the store approached its permanent closure, with more visual encounters reported in later years.
The location may have been home to multiple entities, including an elderly female apparition that customers and employees would see vanish after being greeted.
The Phantom Child of Payless Shoes
The Haunting's Beginning
The Payless Shoe Source in Banning, California's Sun Lakes Village shopping center became infamous for its supernatural resident. First documented in Charles Raymond Dylan's 2004 book "Those Pesky Spooks," the store allegedly housed the spirit of a young boy. The phantom typically manifested twice daily—once when the store opened and again just before closing time. The apparition frequently appeared in the employee break room at the back of the store. The supernatural presence proved so disturbing that numerous employees resigned shortly after beginning their employment.
The Spirit's Description
The ghost boy's appearance evolved in witness accounts over time. Early encounters were primarily sensory—employees reported overwhelming feelings of sadness when the entity was present. By 2019, visual sightings increased dramatically, especially as the store approached permanent closure.
One 54-year-old beauty salon owner provided a particularly disturbing description of her encounter while shopping for shoes near closing time:
"I bent down to examine a box, and as I removed the lid, his head emerged through the box. He didn't resemble a living child—he appeared decomposed, as if dead for centuries. His body seemed grotesquely mangled, with features in unnatural positions."
The witness reported feeling paralyzed with fear before fleeing the store, later attempting to rationalize the experience as a hallucination.
Staff Experiences and Departures
Employee encounters with the phantom child caused significant workplace disruption. Multiple staff members reported unexplained phenomena beyond just sightings of the boy. One employee arrived to open the store on November 6, 2012, and discovered the office chair completely disassembled—wheels removed and components overturned.
Staff testimonies revealed:
A second entity, described as an elderly woman, occasionally entered the store
Employees would greet this female figure, only to find her vanished moments later
The ghost boy specifically targeted the back room bathroom
Many workers experienced sudden, inexplicable waves of sadness
Several employees quit within days of starting work
Former employees suggested the boy attempted communication through emotional projection rather than verbal means. The increase in manifestations as the store neared permanent closure led some paranormal researchers to speculate the entity was aware of and distressed by the impending change to its environment.
Interestingly, despite occurring in an era of ubiquitous security cameras and smartphones, no photographic or video evidence of the apparition was ever publicly released.
Historical Context and Documentation
Charles Raymond Dylan's Documentation
Charles Raymond Dylan first documented the haunted Payless Shoe Source in Banning, California in his 2004 book "Those Pesky Spooks." According to Dylan, employees reported seeing a phantom boy in the break room at the back of the store. These appearances typically occurred at opening and closing times, creating such a disturbing atmosphere that some staff members quit shortly after being hired.
The ghost boy's identity remained uncertain, though two main theories emerged. The predominant explanation suggested he was a child who had visited the store with his mother, became upset when she refused to purchase his chosen shoes, ran into the parking lot, and was fatally struck by a vehicle. A later theory proposed the ghost was actually a young man who disappeared in the 1990s and whose body was discovered near the store location.
Shaun Mosley's Research
In 2012, Shaun Mosley included the Payless haunting in "Haunted Places in California, Volume 1." That same year, multiple witnesses came forward with their experiences. One employee described finding the office chair completely disassembled on November 6, 2012, with wheels and back removed and the chair positioned upside-down.
Another staff member reported that the store actually hosted two entities:
A young boy who would run into the back room bathroom
An elderly woman who would enter the store, be greeted by staff, and then disappear when employees checked on her
This employee personally encountered both entities—experiencing the woman twice, once during their first week and again while closing the store with a colleague.
Inside the Inland Empire Article
On September 20, 2009, the website "Inside the Inland Empire" published an article about the haunting. While initial reader engagement was minimal, by 2019, the website "Backpacker Verse" provided an updated account, noting that encounters had evolved from mere feelings to actual sightings.
A 54-year-old beauty salon owner provided a particularly disturbing account: "Seeing him was the single most awful experience of my life." She described shopping near closing time when the boy's head emerged through a shoebox. Rather than appearing as a normal child, he looked "like he had been dead and not preserved for hundreds of years," with body parts seemingly in wrong positions, as if mangled.
Former employees also reported sudden, inexplicable feelings of sadness when the boy was present. Some believed he was attempting to communicate through emotions. Despite the store's security cameras and prevalence of smartphones, no photographic or video evidence of the ghost boy has been publicly released.
Exploring the Phenomena and Personal Testimonies
The Ghost Child's Possible Origins
Several theories exist about the identity of the phantom boy seen at the former Payless Shoe Store in Banning's Sun Lakes Village shopping center. The most widely accepted explanation suggests he was a child who visited the store with his mother, became upset when she wouldn't purchase his chosen shoes, ran into the parking lot, and was fatally struck by a vehicle. His spirit reportedly began appearing in the store afterward, particularly in the break room.
An alternative theory emerged later, proposing the ghost was actually a young man who disappeared in the 1990s and was later discovered murdered near the store's location. Both theories gained traction among locals, though no definitive evidence confirms either story.
Community Observations and Experiences
Numerous Banning residents have reported supernatural encounters at the Payless location over the years. Employee testimonies describe finding the office chair mysteriously disassembled and turned upside-down with wheels and back removed when opening the store on November 6, 2012.
Some staff members insisted the location was haunted by two distinct entities:
The young boy who ran into the back room bathroom
An older female who would enter the store, be greeted by staff, then vanish completely
Employees reported that these encounters significantly impacted their work experience, with some quitting just days after starting. One former worker described experiencing sudden, unexplained feelings of sadness while in the store, later concluding this was the boy attempting to communicate through emotions.
The phenomenon wasn't isolated to this location. According to local accounts, Banning has multiple haunted sites including:
The group home on Allen Street near the Baptist Church
The area hospital
Several other businesses and properties
Anna's Disturbing Encounter
One of the most vivid testimonies came from Anna, a 54-year-old beauty salon owner who frequented the store. During an evening shopping trip shortly before closing time, she experienced what she described as "the single most awful experience of my life."
While examining a pair of slip-on shoes, Anna bent down to open a box when the spectral boy's head allegedly emerged through the box itself. She recalled being so terrified she couldn't even scream. What made the encounter particularly disturbing were the boy's physical characteristics:
He appeared not as a healthy child but as if "dead and not preserved for hundreds of years"
His body seemed grotesquely mutilated with parts "in the wrong places"
He conveyed an impression of being simultaneously young and unnaturally aged
Anna immediately fled the store after this encounter and spent considerable time trying to convince herself it was merely a hallucination. Despite numerous reported sightings over the years, no photographic or video evidence of the ghost boy has been released publicly, leaving the haunting at the now-closed Payless location an enduring local mystery.
Strange Apparitions Around Town
Allen Street Hauntings and Hospital Ghosts
Banning, California seems to harbor more than its share of ghostly phenomena. The now-closed Payless Shoe Source in the Sun Lakes Village shopping center reportedly hosted a phantom boy for many years. Employees often witnessed this entity in the store's break room, typically appearing just after opening and again before closing time. The spectral presence proved so disturbing that some workers resigned shortly after being hired.
Several theories exist about the boy's identity. The most widespread explanation suggests he was a child who once visited the store with his mother and became distraught when she refused to purchase his chosen footwear. In his upset state, he allegedly ran into the parking lot and was fatally struck by a vehicle. Another theory connects the ghost to a young man who disappeared in the 1990s and was later found murdered near the store's location.
In 2012, employee reports described strange occurrences at the store. One worker arrived to find the office chair completely disassembled, with wheels and back removed. Another employee claimed the location actually housed two spirits - not only the boy who frequented the bathroom, but also an elderly woman who would enter the store, be greeted by staff, and then mysteriously vanish when they checked on her moments later.
Beyond the Payless location, residents report that ghostly figures also appear at the group home on Allen Street adjacent to the Baptist Church, as well as throughout the local hospital.
Backpackerverse Investigation Findings
According to Backpackerverse's 2019 update, encounters at the Payless location evolved over time. Early experiences were primarily sensory - strange feelings rather than visual confirmations. However, in the years leading up to the store's permanent closure, actual sightings of the boy increased dramatically in frequency and detail.
The website interviewed several witnesses, including a 54-year-old beauty salon owner who described her encounter as "the single most awful experience of my life." Her account details:
Looking at shoes near closing time
Bending to examine a box when the boy's head emerged through it
The apparition appearing not as a healthy child but as a severely decayed corpse
The boy's body appearing mangled, "as if all his parts were in the wrong places"
The witness fled immediately, later trying to convince herself it was merely a hallucination.
Former employees noted an emotional component to the hauntings. One worker described experiencing sudden, inexplicable sadness, eventually realizing "it was the boy trying to communicate with me, but he could only do so with feelings."
Despite numerous reported encounters and the prevalence of security cameras and smartphones, no photographic or video evidence of the ghost boy has been publicly released. The increased activity prior to the store's closure raises interesting questions about whether some entities develop attachments to specific locations and respond to changes in their environment.
Store Closure and Heightened Paranormal Activity
The Payless Shoe Source located in the Sun Lakes village shopping center in Banning, California, was known locally as a site of paranormal activity before its permanent closure. The store gained notoriety for its ghostly inhabitants, with accounts dating back to the early 2000s. As the store approached its final days, witnesses reported an unusual increase in supernatural occurrences.
The Ghost's Response to Store's Closing
Multiple witnesses noticed a significant increase in paranormal activity as the Payless store prepared to shut down permanently. The young boy's spirit, the primary entity haunting the location, seemed aware of and distressed by the impending closure.
Employees reported more frequent and intense manifestations during this period. Physical evidence of disturbance became more common, with one worker describing an incident on November 6, 2012:
"I went into the office and found the office chair taken apart and upside-down. Wheels were off, back was off."
The apparition's visual appearances also changed dramatically. While earlier accounts primarily described feelings or subtle manifestations, the ghost began showing himself more frequently—and in more disturbing ways—as the store approached closure. One local shopper's encounter was particularly vivid:
She witnessed the boy's head emerging through a shoebox
The entity appeared decayed, as if "dead and not preserved for hundreds of years"
His body seemed mutilated with "parts in the wrong places"
The emotional atmosphere in the store also intensified. Employees frequently reported sudden, unexplained feelings of profound sadness. One former worker explained: "I would just find myself getting really sad all of a sudden for no apparent reason. One day I finally figured it out—it was the boy trying to communicate through feelings."
This case raises intriguing questions about how spirits might form attachments to locations and react when those spaces undergo significant changes.
Speculations on Ghostly Preferences and Beings
The Payless Shoe Store case in Banning raises interesting questions about ghostly behavior patterns. The increased activity observed during the store's closing period suggests these entities might possess awareness of their surroundings and changes within them. This awareness challenges conventional understanding of ghostly cognition.
Perhaps spirits have preferences for specific environments. Some may gravitate toward abandoned buildings seeking solitude, while others might prefer busy locations with significant human activity like bars or sporting arenas. These preferences could explain why certain locations become known for paranormal activity while similar nearby places remain undisturbed.
The boy's ghost in the Payless store demonstrated a pattern - appearing at opening and closing times. His presence was most strongly felt in the break room, suggesting possible attachment to specific areas within buildings rather than the entire structure. This spatial preference might reflect emotional connections formed during life or relate to the circumstances of death.
The apparent communication through emotional transference is noteworthy. Employees reported sudden, unexplained sadness when the boy's presence was detected. This suggests ghosts may use emotional channels when conventional communication isn't possible.
Types of Ghostly Manifestations at Payless:
Visual appearances (particularly in later years)
Emotional projections (sadness)
Physical manipulation (chair disassembly)
Partial manifestations (head appearing through shoebox)
The disturbing appearance described by the beauty salon owner indicates these entities might appear differently to different observers. The description of the boy as simultaneously young yet appearing centuries old with body parts "in wrong places" suggests perception of ghosts may be filtered through the observer's psychological state.
Similar to UFO encounters where witnesses report receiving mental messages, the ghost boy seemed capable of transmitting feelings if not thoughts. Both phenomena demonstrate potential non-verbal communication between humans and unexplained entities.
Ufology Connections and Mental Communications
Many researchers have noted interesting parallels between paranormal entities and UFO encounters. The Payless Shoe Store in Banning, California's Sun Lakes village shopping center presents a fascinating case study. Before its permanent closure, this location was reportedly haunted by a phantom boy who appeared during opening and closing hours, primarily in the break room.
Several theories emerged about the ghost's identity. Some believed he was a child struck by a car after running upset from the store when his mother wouldn't purchase shoes he wanted. Others connected him to a young man who disappeared in the 1990s and was later found murdered nearby.
The paranormal activities at the location evolved over time. Initially, employees reported feeling unexplained sadness, which some interpreted as the entity attempting emotional communication. By 2012, witnesses described more physical manifestations, including dismantled office furniture and visual appearances of the ghost.
One 54-year-old beauty salon owner described a particularly disturbing encounter: "Seeing him was the single most awful experience of my life." She reported the apparition appearing through a shoebox, appearing not just as a child but as a decomposed entity with body parts "in the wrong places."
Interestingly, paranormal activity reportedly intensified as the store approached closure, suggesting the entity possessed awareness of the changing circumstances. This raises questions about whether certain entities actively select their haunting locations based on specific preferences.
The Payless case connects to ufology through similar patterns of mental communication. UFO witnesses have reported receiving telepathic messages or feeling unexplainable urges to look skyward at precise moments when craft appear. Some contactees describe detailed mental conversations with entities associated with hovering objects.
These mental communications appear across paranormal categories, suggesting possible connections between ghostly phenomena and UFO encounters. The transmission of emotions, urges, and detailed messages without verbal exchange remains one of the most intriguing aspects linking these seemingly separate fields of study.
