Situated in the heart of London's West End, it is little wonder that Barnett Lawson Trimmings has a whiff of showbiz about it. Set designers and costumers have flocked to the Aladdin's cave filled with ribbons, sequins, tassels and more for over forty years and the shop continues to play a part in a host of glamourous projects. “We supply to the theatre, film and television trades and just about anybody who needs exciting trimmings for any purpose,” explains owner Caroline Marx. “You name it, we've done it, but some of the most recent films we have been involved with are The Golden Compass, Elizabeth and Harry Potter.” The shop has also recently supplied Selfridges with almost three million coloured jewels and 140,000 white feathers for their Christmas window displays while House of Fraser called on them for 200,000 metres of festive ribbon.

Despite its star status, the shop resolutely keeps its feet on the ground and retains a sense of humour even when it gets too much for a few customers. “There was a girl who came in last year looking for a heart-shaped sequin motif and because the one we had wasn't quite right, she burst into tears,” says Caroline. “She had been everywhere and had no luck finding anything. We gave her a cup of tea and sorted her out but it gave me the inspiration to create a sign saying 'Relax! It's only trimmings!' It's easy to become tremendously embroiled in it all but for me it's important to bring a bit of fun to into it.”

Caroline has noticed that more and more customers are turning to the shop to help them find a way to inject some new life into old clothes. “There's a definite make and mend culture at the moment; we have a lot of ladies who come in with a moth-eaten jumper asking us what's the best way to cover it up. They're looking to update their wardrobes in cost-effective ways; people have definitely got more of a conscience these days when it comes to throwing things away.”

With a huge customer base, staff are used to seeing their most loyal shoppers almost daily. “We have people who come in two or three times a week, sometimes every day if there's a show on,” says Caroline, whose expertise is also called on by the fashion industry. “Companies like Topshop also come to me with their problems and even if I don't do exactly what they're after, I always point them in the right direction,” she adds. Caroline took the shop on four years ago after the previous proprietor retired. “Some of the staff have been here for 20 years and the knowledge they have passed on is just tremendous. I think customers are drawn to all of that knowledge as well as the fact that we have 10,000 items under one roof. We have a huge variety of products and because we're wholesale, cost is kept to a minimum,” she explains. “Friends say that this job was tailor-made for me; I love the creativity, the colour, the various customers and discussing their different requirements. It's terribly engrossing and very rewarding.”