A fancy dress shop has opened its doors on Pudsey’s high street – just in time for the spookiest time of the year.
Business is booming at RLS Fancy Dress on Lowtown, run by former nursery worker Rebecca Leanne Sayers.
As Halloween looms, the shop is stocked full of fun costumes, colourful hairspray, scary masks, props and more.
Speaking about her love for fancy dress, Rebecca said: “It’s fun, you can just be who you want to be.
“I’ve had a customer this week and he wants to be Harlequin for Halloween. There’s no judgement, you can be who you want to be at Halloween.
“I like to help people find what they want, people come in on their own and they’re not sure what they want to be and I like to take time to help them.
“The best seller is definitely the eras or 1980s, that’s the most popular. Every week we get someone coming in that’s going to some form of 80s do.”
Customers are visiting the shop from all over the local area – including students living nearby in Headingley.
Since opening, the shop has won over residents.
One customer said: “It’s just what Pudsey needed.”
Another added: "We could not believe how cheap this fancy dress shop was."
It comes after one of Leeds’ largest fancy dress shops closed during the pandemic.
That gap in the market is what first inspired Rebecca to follow her dream of running a business back in the first lockdown.
Furloughed from her day job of eight years, she took inspiration from Lord Alan Sugar.
Sharing her journey, Rebecca said: “I went to a lot of Butlin's adult weekends. I kind of got an interest in fancy dress from this. It was lockdown when it took off because I’d been furloughed for about eight weeks. It was a bit boring and I thought, Alan Sugar always says ‘If you’re thinking of starting a new business try find a gap in the market’.
“I was still working full time and it took off. At Christmas I decided to quit my job which I’d been in for about seven to eight years. I was originally planning to do it from home but I got really busy and my house was really full.
“I was driving one day in Pudsey and saw the shop for sale.”
She added: “I want to try and do my best to help and I do still have a good amount of customers every day.
“I do have another order coming with about 100 pieces more, other little knick-knacks as well. I’m expecting to be busy this Saturday!”
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