Festival of Fun Fancy Dress in York on the hunt for new owner

From Hallowe’en to charity fun runs, hen nights, party nights and birthdays – fancy dress has never been more popular.

And if you love dressing up as a cowboy or a flapper, can’t get enough of batman capes or creepy monsters – or just want to get a foothold on a thriving business - how does owning your own fancy dress shop sound?

Festival of Fun Fancy Dress in the centre of York has gone on the market – and it’s packed with hundreds of fun outfits and accessories to make any kind of party you can imagine go with a swing.

The shop has been reluctantly put on sale by owner Miles Jackson, who now wants to concentrate on his three Scarborough-based shops.

He admits it’s a fun-filled shop to run and with masses of opportunity for the new owner to tap into a thriving market right on the doorstep.

“We’re right in the centre of town, and York St John University is nearby, so we get lots of business from students looking for outfits for fun events as well as people who want to wear fancy dress to things like 80s discos, birthday parties and fun runs.

“Fancy dress was once mainly just a Hallowe’en thing, but now it’s all year round.”

Miles opened the shop in 1999 in preparation for a boom in millennium parties.

Since then even he’s been surprised at how the business has grown, with demand from all ages, all year round, for accessories, outfits and decorations.

He’s recently started a new thread to the shop to meet rising demand for decorative balloons – including large displays for corporate events and weddings.

The other element of the business involves working with the many local students’ groups who often hold fun events and fundraising parties – usually with a fancy dress theme.

“I’d love to keep the business but there’s only so much time in the day and I have just taken on a new premises in Scarborough,” explains Miles.

The shop, in Goodramgate, has a 10-year lease and is close to shoppers’ car parks. As well as three packed floors of goods also operates an easy to navigate online store – another potential source of revenue to add to its already impressive turnover.

According to Miles the business has soared in recent years, while costumes are becoming increasingly detailed and sophisticated to cater for a growing ‘comic con’ market as well as fun parties.

Love fancy dress? Or just want to be part of a thriving business? Festival of Fun Fancy Dress is on the market for £35,000 with the stock priced at £15,000 with Leeds-based business sales specialists Ernest Wilson.

Find out more from Ernest Wilson at www.ernest-wilson.co.uk or call 0113 238 2900.