I shopped for fall decor at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. Both stores were winners — just not for the same holiday.

I found that Michaels (left) and Hobby Lobby (right) had solid offerings for fall decor.

Savannah Born I went shopping for fall decorations at Michaels and Hobby Lobby to see which had better options.

Michaels blew me away with its Halloween decorations, elevated crafts, and spooky themes.

Hobby Lobby had no Halloween decor, but its Thanksgiving and general autumnal fare was hard to beat.

The instant I sense a new season approaching, or even prematurely "smell it in the air," I'm already excited to decorate.

This is especially true for fall, since it includes warm colors, cozy smells, nostalgic accents, and pumpkin-themed everything .

Unpacking my bins this year, however, my lineup felt stale.

I decorate for fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving individually, and all three collections needed some (pumpkin) spice.

So, I visited my nearest Michaels and Hobby Lobby for some inspiration.

To my surprise, the nearest locations of each craft store were next door to each other — in the same building.

Both had festive vibes , seasonal sales, and complete fall collections, even in mid-August when I shopped, but that's where the similarities ended.

Here's how the stores compared.

I started at Michaels, which felt like a Halloween wonderland.

Savannah Born The first thing I saw was when I entered a rack of Halloween doormats, so I knew I was in for a spooky experience.