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Shirley Phillipson: Meet Headingley's own fancy dress expert
Shirley Phillipson runs one of the busiest fancy dress shops in Leeds – Headingley's Fancy Dress Experience.
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She took time out between customers' requests for capes, masks and witches' broomsticks to talk to Neil Hudson..
Shirley Phillipson's parents died when she was just three and she and her sister Pamela, who passed away in 2001, and brother David, were brought up in an orphanage called The Mount in Dewsbury.
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At the age of 15, Shirley moved out of The Mount and, after responding to an advert in the Yorkshire Evening Post, she came to work as a nanny in Leeds for Sue and Geoff Baskind, helping with their children and around the house and eventually started working in their family business, Geoffrey Baskind Chemists Ltd, based in Headingley.
She said: "Moving to Leeds from Dewsbury was a massive leap but I'm 51 now and couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I have met some great people and have lots of good friends here."
Despite her difficult start in life, Shirley has been successful and now runs what is arguably Leeds's busiest fancy dress shop which is ideally situated to take advantage of the famous Otley Run pub crawl crowd.
Shirley said: "If you come here at about 4pm on Friday they will be literally queueing round the block for Halloween costumes. It's happened for the last few years, we've had so many people we've had to operate a two-out, two-in policy at the shop. It's amazing and long may it continue."
"The one thing I could not live without is my family – Jonathan, 19, my nephew who lives with me, his sister Racheal, 23, and her two children and my big brother David and his wife and their girls, and of course my friends.
"My first job was working as a helper in Geoffrey Baskind's chemist. I was 15 and having been brought up in an orphanage, I'd never been to Leeds before. I went to work for them as a nanny and helper. I applied for it because accommodation was included and I needed somewhere to live. They were very kind to me and taught me a lot. After that I fancied being my own boss and so I opened a printing shop, Quick Colour Prints. I got into fancy dress after Jonathan came home from school one day and said he needed an outfit. After going to a shop to get one, I came away thinking, I could do so much better. I started off with about a dozen items and now we stock hundreds of outfits and even make our own. We also have a balloon decorating service. I've been here since 1999.
"The person I am most proud of is my brother. He had it really hard growing up and now he has a good job and a lovely family, with three children and three grandchildren. I don't see him or them as often as I would like but we talk on the phone a lot.
"The best thing about Leeds is it's big, friendly and there is a lot to do. There are fabulous restaurants. There are some fabulous parks and, apparently, some really good nightclubs, not that I go clubbing anymore.
"To relax I like to go out and eat with friends. I don't really have a lot of time to relax. I guess I'd say shopping and eating out, but I am a bit of a workaholic.
"My childhood was very hard. I try not to dwell on it because it brings things back not just for me but others who were there. I had a particularly difficult time. I grew up without much love. We had family but we could only see them once a month, that's all they were allowed. We were given no respect as children by the people who looked after us.
I think I came out of it remarkably well, I have mechanisms to deal with things that went on. I'm incredibly positive, it's a bit like being a business owner and having to deal with the recession and staying positve.
"The best piece of advice I've ever received was to listen to people, be honest and fair and to treat people with respect.
"The last time I cried was today when a friend sent me a text to say she was getting married.
"My philosophy on life is to get through it by being honest. I try to remember that, however bad things get, there's always someone somewhere who's worse off than you.
"Something that might surprise other people is I don't like going to fancy dress parties. I hate dressing up, which sounds mad because I run this shop but it's true. However, I love my job and people nearly always go away from here happy and if they don't, well, you can't please everybody all the time.
"My joke is why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. That's the only joke I can remember, they don't tend to stick in my head, I always forget the punchline.
"I do remember my first kiss but that's as much as I'm telling. It would be nice to think that he does too!
Visit Shirley's website at: www.fancydressexperience.co.uk
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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