Photo: Katie Dolphin

Nestled in a row of shops along the busy Lee High Road in Lewisham sits Harlequin, a costume-hire and party world where anybody can transform themselves into Elvis or Dracula.

The window bursts with fancy dress delights, from rooster masks to colourful wigs, and even the odd practical joke. Inside the story is the same – not an inch of wall remains on show.

Hundreds of costumes have adorned the store for the 19 years it has been in business, and the recession doesn’t seem to have dented people’s desire to dress up.

Harlequin was born out of co-owner Karen Dawson’s love for creating costumes for her friends’ children. After being made redundant she grabbed the opportunity to open a shop with her business partner.

Gangster and Batman & Robin costumes remain as popular as ever, claims Ms Dawson, while the party side is always kept busy by events such as football competitions. “Even when it’s something like a World Cup we get lots of customers just popping in to buy a 35p little flag. We get people in all year round buying accessories.”

As well as the main season from Hallowe’en until Valentine’s Day, Ms Dawson says she has many regular customers whom she always enjoys seeing. “We have a lady who has costume parties all the time – if there is a spare Saturday she will have a party!”

The Bob Hope Theatre in Eltham regularly uses the shop as a source for costumes, as do many local families in the area who have been visiting for years. Ms Dawson says: “When the kids who used to visit have kids, that makes you feel old!”