A FAMILY run business has issued a rallying cry to residents to continue supporting their local shops.

Maurice and Diana Waissel run DNK clothes store with daughter Natalie, and they told the Harrow Times trade in Pinner town centre has plummeted since the onset of the recession.

Diana said: “We want the community to save all the high streets and support their local shops.

“Pinner high street has become like a morgue, and like in Watford at the Harlequin Centre and at Brent Cross, every other shop has gone.

“We need to keep Pinner as an upmarket area. It has big properties worth a lot of money, residents here have some money, and the way to survive is to sell good quality merchandise.”

Diana has had a clothes boutique in the town centre for the last eight years, and in November last year the family decided to open a second shop in Pinner which sells men's clothes.

Natalie said they took a risk opening another shop given the current economic climate, but decided to take the opportunity as a way of helping their business thrive.

She said: “We did it because we had a fantastic opportunity, and we wanted to enhance the shop we already have.

“I don't think people should go mad, but you can come in to the shops, forget about things for a while, make a purchase and feel a lot more positive.”

DNK has carved out a niche for itself as an upmarket clothes store selling designer clothes you would normally expect to find in West End stores.

The owners have a loyalty scheme for their customers, and are looking to expand their range to sell classic men's toys like Scalextrics to continue to boost their trade.

The Harrow Times went to look round the DNK stores as part of our campaign with Harrow Council to support local shops and help businesses to ride out the recession.

Delia Markham is another Pinner business owner who has bucked the current economic trend by opening a new wine bar.

She took over the former Hand in Hand pub last year and transformed it into an upmarket wine bar called Vintage.

Ms Markham has been a Pinner resident for more than 30 years, and could not bear to see the premises sit empty. So she set out opening a new business, the latests in a line of business ventures in the historic town.

David Ashton, leader of Harrow Council, said: "Pinner is teeming with history and this is evident just by walking through the high street.

"Wooden framed shops and boutiques offer variety and uniqueness, while the restaurants are nothing short of excellent, with one having been rated by much-coveted Michelin.

"The high street is very popular, as much for the setting as the businesses that trade there."