After ensuring that generations of Tenby revellers and ‘trick or treaters’ look their most stylish, silly or scary (or all three - depending on the occasion...and person!) a local business proprietor described as the seaside resort’s real life answer to ‘Mr. Benn’s shopkeeper’ is bringing the curtain down on one of the town’s most recognisable and ever-changing shop windows.

Roland Grigg is retiring at the end of the month after nearly 50 years at ‘Griggles’ on Warren Street - providing fancy dress costumes and props to those young...and old enough to know better, for all occasions from Halloween to hen parties.

“My wife Michelle is cutting down her hours from the NHS in early December, so we made a joint decision to spend this Christmas together and close Griggles, but we’ve had a long and successful time here, and it’s been a pleasure to serve the local community,” he explained.

Griggles opened in April 1970 after the Grigg family who owned the Ventnor Hotel, took over the neighbouring shop, which was then a newsagent.

After renaming the premises ‘Iris’s’ initially and stocking toys, gifts and beachware, a joke section was added to the shop, and gradually more and more outlandish outfits for dressing up were stocked, until 20 costumes became around 2,000 - providing the people of Pembrokeshire with everything to enable them to look like everything from a Hammer House of Horror extra to panto dame...or even something from another planet. and beyond.

“Everyone seems to have a story of hiring or buying a fancy dress outfit from the shop down the years, so I?guess we’ve been a big part of Tenby party-goers life - from those kids dressing up for school events, through to adults hitting the pubs on New Year’s Eve,” he continued.

“Although I have shifted a lot of stock since word got out that we are closing, there is still plenty here on offer for anyone planning for the festive period.

“We even still have the infamous horse’s head that two lads used to dress up for a prank in a Pembroke Dock supermarket that went viral all over the internet when news broke of horse meat being found in burgers!” laughed Roland.

Tenby local Lance Russell - previously partial to a spot of dressing up for New Year’s Eve, said that if you couldn’t find what you wanted - Roland could order it in.

“Very rarely did we rent the costumes but make our own kit up buying bits and pieces, but one of the exceptions was when we hired a pile of gorilla suits and went out as Planet of the Apes,” explained Lance.

“We all bar one realised we would have to make an opening in the costume for when it was time to go to the little boys room. I remember Glen Bowen frantically asking Keith May in the 3 Mariners for a knife as he was busting!

“I will miss going in there as you would sometimes go into an empty shop, and like the children’s TV series Mr. Benn...suddenly the shopkeeper would appear and Roland would then help you transform into your desired character!” added Lance.

Roland said that he’d like to say a special thank you to all his loyal customers over the years who have supported the shop.