I'm sorry that i have had to even give one star. Bought a damaged costume - one sleeve did not have…read morehem/seam and was frayed up the arm. Spoke to the shop manager that day to make sure they had another one in stock as it was close to halloween. They assured me they did. They had misplaced it. My daughter called again and they have refused to take it back as they said it has been worn. It was tried on and the fault noticed straight away. Very poor customer service. Manager tried to speak over me on the phone. i have always bought every year from here - NEVER AGAIN - he was so rude and condesending. As someone from a very large group you would think that they would like the business and to support local.

Weirdly this was the first time I have stepped foot in Elliott's, I had heard the legend of it's…read moreHalloween queues and I have had a look at their website when planning fancy dress outfits. Today I was looking for a specific outfit for an event and I decided it was better to just go in and chat to the experts rather than trawling through the pages online. When you walk in you'll be hit by the amount of different options they have.There's hundreds of hanging masks ranging from Horror masks to dead celebrities. Some of them are life like and others are just ridiculous but I suppose it depends on how much you are willing to spend. They also have huge bible like catalogues on the counter allowing you to browse by category and alphabetically. This is where I went! While flipping through the pages I was approached by two members of staff who were only too happy to assist me in my search. They made it look very easy, i said one word and they flipped the catalogue open on the exact outfit I was looking for. I have to admit, I had it in my head that Elliott's was going to be expensive, but it turned out that it was cheaper than anything I found online of similar quality and I didn't have to sweat over delivery! All in all a great shop experience, fast efficient staff and good value - when Halloween rolls around you can expect to see me in Elliott's understandably lengthly queue.

Paragon Fabrics, I have discovered, is a good place to find plain coloured linen type fabrics which…read moreto me anyway can be very useful. There is also a wide variety of all sorts of other fabrics ranging from dress fabrics, including prints and satins to cotton checked ginghams and rolls of bright pink nylon fluffy stuff if that's what you're after. There are often ends of rolls being sold off cheaply if you happen to be in the right place at the right time - I found a large bolt of calico once for not much money which filled a gap at the time and if you want to find a local curtain maker this is also a good place to ask. I have visited two branches at Donegall Pass and Holywood Road and have found both shops have a similar standard of usefulness though perhaps there is a larger and more varied stock carried in the shop on Donegall Pass.

I always use Paragon Fabrics, Donegall Pass for all my quilting fabrics and blender materials - a…read morelarge range of fabrics that are brilliant for using with your embroidery machines - very competitive prices offered

Super little charity shop where you can browse to your heart's content searching for the perfect…read moreitem of clothing, hat, scarf, shoes or handbag. Sometimes you'll spot a few items you want and sometimes there will be nothing appealing - but that's half the fun! This Oxfam is much cheaper and better than a lot of other second hand shops or as they're called these days 'vintage' stores.

I really like charity shops, they're a great place to shop on a budget whether you be wanting to…read morebuy clothes, books, dvds or anything you can usually get a good wee bargain. If your are shopping for fancy dress or if you're looking for costumes for a play the trusty charity shop is completely essential. This particular wee shop is really good. There is a good atmosphere and the staff are really friendly, helpful and polite. You can pick up some really good bargains in here, particularly if you want to get some jackets as I noticed they had a huge selection when I was last in. Its a really nice thing to do and way better than going to one of the chain vintage stores that are starting to clutter up Belfast. Well worth a look.

Protocol is a formal clothes hire shop in Queens Street in Belfast. They rent out formal wear from…read moreweddings suits to tuxedos for special occasions. I have used these guys for several formals I have attended throughout school and university. I never really have any idea what I'm looking for when I go into these type of places which is why it's good to have staff that know what they are talking about and can help you make the right choices, so you don't show up looking like an a ejit! The staff knew why I was there so they just went around kitting me out with all the things I needed. The rental price is a little expensive and god help you if you dare return your tux late or with a stain on it, but that's part of their business I suppose. Great place with great suits for any special occasion.o

Protocol is a formal clothing hire shop. You can rent out classy clothing for brides, bridesmaids,…read morecommunions, formals, evening wear. They also have a wide range of menswear for hire. If you need to get a tux in a hurry, this is your place guys! The place seems to be very popular with brides and their bridesmaids. I have heard that the staff provide excellent service and tailoring. If you go to Protocol, you are guaranteed quality.

I called in to this much talked about bridal boutique to pick up some ideas for my mum. As she is…read moregoing to be a mother of the bride very soon I wanted to get an idea of the range of sizes, colours and styles stocked here. The staff were friendly enough and they pointed out the new range and told me that there were bargains to be found in the older stock. Everything is just displayed together with all sizes on one rail. I would have found it easier of the dresses were arranged either in colour, style, designer or size. The lady informed me that we would not need an appointment and that they get new stock in all the time. I will call in here with my mum very soon and have another look - there is an order time of several months on some dresses so I would advise you call early if you are more particular. The dresses were lovely and staff pleasant. I will be back.

We went here to choose a wedding dress for my best pal, and we definitely experienced a better…read morequality of service at other bridal shops that day and the rest of that week. When choosing my own dress, I also went to other less 'sophisticated' places and were treated better and given more time and space to choose. We were ushered into the private dressing area, with the most gorgeous array of gowns lined up along the wall. The girl helping us was doing her best, but she was quite young and I didn't get the sense that she was confident enough to make suggestions and that she didn't read my friends personality - which I think good salespeople should be pros at. She didn't pick up on the fact that my friend was quite unsure of what she wanted, and was hoping for some suggestions. What I really didn't like was the order that we were only allowed to try on a certain number of gowns....I was really shocked. I had heard that some boutiques do that, but I wasn't expecting it here as the whole look of the place is very professional and glamorous. To be told you only have so many chances to find 'that dress' is very limiting and kind of bursts your bubble. I think anyone who is serious about finding thier dress will know if they've hit the end of the road, and they are hardly going to try on 20+ dresses are they? In other establishments we were offered tea and coffee, soft drinks and even champagne while we waited, but there was nothing like that here, and there was a real sense of a production line, with the next group of brides and bridesmaids waiting hot on your heels to get in. Gorgeous dresses, gorgeous shop. Could do better.

As Snagglepuss would say "Heavens to Murgatroyd"…read more The rip you off blind market has returned with even higher prices than last year. I didn't think that the robber merchants could increase prices this year as they were extortionate last year. I was wrong. I think I was in this market for 10 minutes Christmas past but this year I left after five minutes. Never again. I nearly swallowed my teeth when I saw a plastic skinned hotdog being offered at a stall here at six quid, or $8 equivalent, and then I saw an Americano coffee at another place here at three quid. Three quid for an Americano - no chance. The coffee was being sold without any embarrassment at a wooden cart and if you preferred a hot chocolate here instead then according to the mini blackboard display you'd have to part with four quid. Despite the stonking prices there are no seats here, no comfort here, instead customers just stand in the damp cold and part with nearly an hour of minimum wage for a 20 year old just for a hot chocolate. Now I hope I'm not coming across as mean, but I could go into Castlecourt and get a first class Chinese king prawn meal at Yangtze on the first floor and receive change out of six quid. In fact that's what I did. I could cross the road from this market in under two minutes into the comfortable heat and seats (and toilet) in Hotel Chocolat and enjoy their first class hot chocolate for £3.50. I really, really despise being ripped off. As I wandered the stalls, trader after trader displayed prices that made me suck in my breath and think 'yer having a laugh'. Am I delighted we live in austerity as I'd hate to see the prices here in good times.

The Christmas Continental Market arriving at Belfast City Hall always signifies the start of the…read morefestive season and approach of Yuletide. Filled with food, mulled wine, olives, sweets, treats, music, merriment and gift ideas, a meander around this market is a must. I go numerous times every year and love to soak up the atmosphere with a cup of warming mulled wine in hand. Yes the stalls are often the same, yes it's often crammed full of people, but it's only on our City Hall doorstep for a few weeks each year so I can forgive all that. I'm a devout advocate of this market for the Christmas spirit, warmth and excitement it brings to Belfast each year. Love it.

This is one of those places where you've always been able to get your paint and other DIY malarkey…read more They're also pretty popular as an establishment where you can hire all sorts of tools and equipment whether you're tidying up the garden or building an extension. You can hire equipment from hedge clippers and lawn rakers to kangos and cement mixers. It seems the only thing they don't do is a crane, but I'm sure if you asked them... It's a family owned business and in recent years has diversified to offer other services. They now do a line of party items, Halloween costumes, and even floral arrangements for weddings. Still, their hire services for equipment is pretty useful, especially if you're sitting about the house with nothing to do and think, "I reckon that wall would look better with a hole in it..."

From the owner: suppliers of pest control products mouse and rat traps read more

Oh boy, oh boy…read more.. I'm one of these people who always wanted to be artistically creative. My mum can paint, sketch, knit, crochet, and all the rest of it, but unfortunately I didn't inherit her arty farty genes. Stick men and colour co-ordination is really the height of it for me. Well, at least my stick people will be well dressed... Thank goodness for Craftworld, a haven of every possible kind of art form known to man. To my delight, this includes those colourful beads which you place on a random plastic shape, cover with iron-proof paper, and iron. Cue excitement. I actually made one of these a number of years ago. A blue and red place mat in the shape of a star which sits on my desk. Craftworld appreciates the lesser forms of art. Happy days. If you're not one for fusing together beads (and let's face, apart from a five year old and myself, who really is?), do not fear. Everything from dolls houses to thread, from glitter to polystyrene shapes can be found in Craftworld. There's a lovely wee wedding section at the very back too. Lovely jubbly.

This place is unbeatable for everything craft, ribbons, buttons, wool..everything…read more I had the very frustrating experience of going here to pick up stuff everyday for two weeks before my wedding...men beware it may just dooo your head in unless your the president of your local sewing club. Prepare for a busy stuffy room with way too much choice!!!!