A second fancy dress shop in Newcastle is opening extra hours this weekend to cater for the rush of customers wanting Halloween costumes.
Business has taken off over recent days as students and partygoers prepare to dress to impress in an assortment of outfits ranging from the ghostly to the grisly. Just as long queues have been building at Smiffys' Magic Box in Northumberland Street, Buddy's Fancy Dress shop in the city is rushed off its feet and is now preparing for Sunday opening too.
The shop is in Thornton Street, between Tilleys Bar and the side door of Tyne Theatre & Opera House, where it has expanded from selling the likes of balloons, banners and partyware into fancy dress. And the move has proved to be in perfect time to meet the Halloween demand.
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With stock being snapped up, the shop's owner Buddy Boyd was awaiting a new delivery on Saturday and said he is planning to open from 10am to 3pm on Sunday so that customers can have an extra day's shopping before the night of Halloween itself, when opening time will be from 9am until 7pm. Buddy, who is originally from London but has lived in the area for around 15 years, has always worked in the entertainment events business which was hard hit by the pandemic.
For more than a decade the likes of a balloon-decorating service have proved popular and it's just over recent months that he has expanded from party pieces to grow a range of fancy dress costumes. It's proving a good move - and at the right time.
With the help of word-of-mouth, the shop has grown organically and has become a go-to place for a variety of outfits, from hen and stag party-type nurses and police officer uniforms to Bavarian bar staff for Oktoberfest, which also has proved a draw also in the run-up to Halloween. Plus there are accessories, sashes, face paints, coloured contact lenses and make-up.
Halloween-wise, and linked with the controversy over Jeffrey Dahmer-inspired costumes, Buddy has seen demand for these while, like Magic Box, he is finding that other popular picks for students include convict suits that tie in with their tradtional cops and robbers-theme night out.
As business grows, Buddy says he is keen to focus upon cutting the carbon footprint too, with a move away from plastic in favour of paper bags, and to build connections to help the local community. For more about the business and what's on offer visit its website here or see its Facebook page.
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