I am definitely a fan of The Dressing Room…read more I remember when it first opened and I thought "I won't be shopping in there; it'll be all the same stuff I can get cheaper in town; it'll be overpriced; the staff with be stuck up and unapproachable," but once again, I was proved wrong and very cynical. The Dressing Room stocks a beautiful collection of clothes accessories and jewellery which is not easily found in town, there's a real sense of style in here and the window displays are consistently alurring. The prices are not extortionate and considering the convenience of the store, are actually very reasonable. The staff, in my experience, are variable: some days they're friendly, some days not, but they're only human and everybody has an off day! I would say this shop has a particular target audience: young fashionable females, and I don't think the mechandise will appeal to all of the local ladies.

There was uproar in the village when it was announced that Byrne & Sons would be closing its Brows…read moreLane premises (almost as much as when they mentioned that there might be a McDonalds opening opposite Waitrose). The men's clothing store had been in the village for a good long while and it should jolly well stay, especially as all these bally WAGS keep being bought boutiques here to run into the ground. Obviously the people making these sorts of remarks didn't really concern themselves with actually shopping at Byrne & Sons, and why would they? It was very expensive for what it was. "£55 for an argyle cardigan? I could get one half that price at the Edinburgh Wool Mill!" Still they were adamant that it shouldn't leave Formby, it was an institution. Imagine their joy then when it moved to new, even bigger (and cheaper) digs opposite the Grapes pub. Hooray. It still didn't mean that anyone really went. "£20 for a tie? Good heavens no, I could get three for that price at Tie Rack!"

From the owner: Byrne & Son has been supplying style-conscious gentlemen with high quality clothing ever since it…read morewas first established in 1964 in Liverpool's North John Street and in it's current home of Formby, Merseyside, under new owners Rob and Michelle Bayliff. Over the years, we have built a reputation for providing a friendly personalised service coupled with expertise and attention of detail. We supply a carefully selected range of formal and casual clothing sourced from the finest brands, including Olymp, Meyer, Brook Taverner, Magee, Gurteen, Douglas, Franco Ponti, Scott by the Label and Skopes. We now offer a comprehensive, tailored clothing alterations service for both ladies and gentlemen - from trouser shortening and narrowing to bringing an old suit back to life! We can customise your clothing to your taste, recreating original finishes wherever possible or even adding new details for a unique, individual touch. We have an extensive selection of Formal wear to hire, specialising in Wedding Hire, Evening Hire, Prom Suits and Cruising Wear with all matching accessories - we will ensure you and are ready for any occasion and stand out from the crowd!

I never noticed the Mister in the title before I entered so it explains a lot about the big guy's…read moredemeanour behind the counter. I was lucky I didn't need any help or advice unlike the woman looking for a children's clothes shop and getting a short series of monosyllabic grunts in return. There is very little range here at Mister Blue's. It is the usual choice of t shirts and jeans. I understand that us men are supposed to be lacking in fashion consciousness and have much ground to catch with Gok Won - or is it Wan? - but has anyone thought that maybe it has to do with what we are offerred in the stores? If shops like Mr Blue's will only provide multicoloured polo shirts, stripey cardigans and blue straight leg jeans then that's pretty much what you're going to see.

It wasn't until writing this review that I realised that Blue Menswear was in fact 'Mister Blue…read moreMenswear' (that's right, same mistake as the others). I would like to say it's because I was so distracted by the brilliance of what was inside but to be honest, I wasn't. Its 'range' of clothing basically included polo shirts, a few t-shirts and jeans. Now, they did have quite a lot of different polo shirts - many different and at times, quite offensive to the eye, colours as well as designs that were just different enough to distinguish - but that's all they were, polo shirts. And there are only so many different styles of plain polo shirts. The jeans were much the same, summing up the general theme of the shop itself. They also sell a range of footwear, but that didn't exactly set my world on fire either. If you're not fussy, or love polo shirts, then this could be worth checking out but otherwise I'd recommend heading into Liverpool instead.

Entering Smiths in Formby village is like entering back into the 80s or 90s into one of those…read moreold-fashioned tv stores, but for some reason it also reminds me of the electrical store from Shaun of the Dead. Hence whenever I go in there I'm always a bit on edge, perhaps expecting some kind of un-dead characters to be in the back being swotted away with cricket bats by the red-tie-and-badge wearing staff. Thankfully in reality there are no such problems as Smiths is a lovely, friendly place in which there are staff that are able to answer any of your questions without any kind of agenda like in some of the larger electrical shops. I recently went in sort of thinking I knew what lead I might need for a Playstation, but as soon as I mentioned the sort of lead I thought I might need, a member of staff immediately got the correct one out for me, as he knew what I needed despite my rather obscure description. A great place to go for all your electrical needs.

Going into Smiths is a little bit like taking a step back in time - even the signage looks like a…read morethrowback to the days of hire purchase and everyone sitting in to catch the new episode of the Sweeney -you will be approached almost immediately and asked what you're looking for and you will be helped to find what you're looking for, unlike Curry's where as soon as it becomes apparent you won't be remortgaging your house to pay for a HD TV the size of a greenhouse the staff lose interest. As an independent business in a small town Smiths relies on repeat trade and so you will be treated warmly and as a valued customer. Of course you can get better electronics deals from the supermarkets or online but if you're as clueless as I can be and want help picking out the right leads and cables from people who actually know their HDMI from SCARTS and won't pressure you into buying a costly insurance policy on a digital alarm clock (as I was almost persuaded to do at a branch of Dixons once) then try Smiths.

Hamblett Jones is a tiny little tailors tucked into St John's Road. It offers all manner of…read moreclothing alterations at relatively reasonable prices; there are cheaper alternatives in the area, however, Hamblett Jones come highly recommended; they're professional and efficient and work is always completed to a high standard I love having a little peek in as I pass the window and glimpse the row of tailors stitching, buckling and buttoning like elves in the workshop.

I recently took a dress to be altered for a wedding, and I'm very impressed with both the manner in…read morewhich I was treated as a customer, and the quality of the work. It wasn't super cheap for the alterations I needed as they were more complex, but it was a reasonable price and worthwhile for a dress I love. If you want quality and professionalism, try them out.

As regular readers of my reviews may know, I am an avid charity shopper. Imagine my unbridled joy,…read morethen, when one of Formby's finest charity shops opened just three minutes walk from my house. What they don't do is clothes, what they do is almost anything and everything else - weird and wonderful costume jewellery shaped like zoo animals, gold rimmed wind-up watches, books from bestsellers to cult classics (I bought both Cloud Atlas and To The Lighthouse here for less than £5 for the pair). They also do a nice line in cheap furniture, my bedside table cost £3 from here and there was a dining room set for less than £30 last time I walked past. If you do wish to donate clothes (or indeed curtains or bed linen) they willingly and happily receive them during opening hours. Instead of selling them though, they are torn into pieces and used as bedding for animals at the rescue centre. Aww...