Five Minutes With… Smiffys Newcastle
Halloween is just around the corner, so what better time to catch up with the city’s most popular fancy dress shop?
With a vast range of costumes, wigs, makeup and more, it’s no wonder that Smiffys is the place to head in Newcastle for fancy dress occasions – be it Halloween, a hen party or Freshers’ Week festivities.
Ahead of its busy Halloween season, we caught up with store manager Emma Robson to found out what it’s like working in the city’s most popular fancy dress shop.
Can you tell us a bit more about what kind of costumes you stock?
We’ve got something for everyone, kids and adults alike! You’ll find all your favourite licensed characters in the shop, as well as traditional generic costumes. With deluxe lines and affordable accessories, every customer will find a costume for their next party or night out.
We have costumes for the big seasons of course, including Halloween and Christmas, as well as decades, historical costumes for school events and funny costumes for festivals and freshers.
What are your most popular costumes?
This year we have already had such high demand for Beetlejuice, Willy Wonka and Oompa Loompas have been a big favourite this year as well as a nice and easy orange convict jumpsuit for the students.
Halloween must be like Christmas for you guys. How busy does it get at Smiffys during spooky season?
Halloween is without a doubt our busiest period. We’ve had customers asking for Halloween since August – the hype definitely seems to be earlier this year!
Throughout October, the shop gets busier and busier. The queues in the week leading up to Halloween are down the stairs, out the door and along Northumberland Street. It’s crazy, so make sure you don’t leave it until the last minute this year to avoid the queues!
Are there any particular Halloween costumes that you predict are going to be big sellers this year?
Halloween trends are dominated by big movie and TV releases. This year we’re expecting Beetlejuice to be the star of the show, as well as Deadpool & Wolverine. Wednesday is still a hit, following the Netflix series.
Easy to wear and more affordable, accessories like capes and hats are in demand year after year as customers style them up with their own wardrobes.
Which other times of the year do you see a big rush of customers?
We’ve just had Freshers Week, and this is always a really busy time for us every year. This rush will continue for the first few weeks of term as students attend events to discover more of Newcastle. New Year’s Eve always sees a last minute rush, and Book Day is celebrated in most schools so March is normally a busy one for us too!
What do you love most about working in a fancy dress shop?
Every day is different. Each customer has a plan of their party or night out and being a part of them trying on all of the costumes and finding the right one is a great feeling. Freshers are great fun – always up for a laugh and trying to outdo each other on costumes. There’s never a dull moment working in a party store!
Smiffys is located at 140a Northumberland Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7DQ. For more information visit www.smiffys.com.
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