Traditional Sweet Shop - thoughts

[AllTheFloralCurtains]

I'm thinking of opening a sweet shop in my village.
I love the idea of an old fashioned sweet shop, with all the goodies lined up in Bell jars along the shelves.

For those of you who have been somewhere similar, could you tell me how you found the set up? (even better if it was 50 years ago!)

If the sweets are in jars behind the counter (so the customer looks over the counter and chooses their sweets, which are then weighed by the server) - I worry the selection will be hard to see.

But if the jars are laid out in a shop space (so the customer picks their jar/s and brings it to the counter) this seems fiddly and open to breakages, plus the server would be constantly returning the jars.

[Toddlerteaplease]

Ye olde sweete shop in Leicester still jars.

[ancientgran]

We go to Cranch's in Totnes, they also have a shop in Salcombe. In Totnes the jars are all round the shop but posh chocolates are in a glass display counter at the back of the shop.

They always seem busy.

[WombatChocolate]

Agree you need to be in a tourist location with high footfall and not a quiet or even quite busy village. Tourists will be the spenders as you need more than the local children spending their 50p of pocket money.

Those shops do well in the right place. Some will offer weighed fudge as well. Tourists live that. And some boxes of fudge/sweets that people can buy as gifts...and involve a bigger spend.

I could just eat some Parma violets or some sugared almonds.

[GameSetMatch]

A long wooden counter with scales and a till with shelving at the back with several rows full of jars to pick from. Under the counter rows of different chocolate bars, and a dresser to one side with boxes of chocolates made into a decedent display.

This what I remember of the local sweet shop come post office when I was younger.

[Time40]

This shop has been going for ever, and it's always busy:

www.moffattoffeeshop.com

It's mainly sweets, but they've got the whole back wall full of booze!

[converseandjeans]

I agree jars behind counter. Mr Simms also has a glass counter with tubs of jelly/fried eggs/cola bottle type sweets.

I think also some already packaged up would help.

Also in lockdown some companies are delivering sweets.

Maybe sweetie cones for parties once lockdown is over.

Look for small premises too so it's cheaper.

[itsgettingwierd]

Our town has one. Shelves have sweets and boxes and speciality ones for occasions (eg Xmas) plus drinks fridge and Pringles etc.

Then the shelves behind the counter have all the jars and we pick and they measure.

They also have a loyalty scheme.

It's very popular and my first go to place for special sweet boxes etc. They've even switched online during covid which for a small run family business was really good.

[DrMadelineMaxwell]

A local one here (not seaside or tourist town) does roaring trade. They have shelves of the traditional sweets (most large jars are plastic now), they make their own fudge and have some pick and mix.
They also have a small area that's a cafe that does drinks and crepes and has ice cream varieties.
They make a lot of their money through parties and they also do ceramics to paint too which can are fired (they have a kiln in one of their garages) and collected a few days later. They also do a 'special' which gets a craft, an ice cream and a drink or a pancake and drink for a fixed price. Very popular and you always have to book in advance for all school holidays.

[Dontfuckingsaycheese]

Ones I've had recently (well within the last 5 years) have been stale so they had been there a while! Don't do what the one in our town did. You couldn't take the jar to be weighed out. They were already pre-bagged. Why why why would you do that??! Totally eradicating the USP! May as well pop to Morrisons then!

[Horehound]

As I'm sure you'll tell from my username, I love the sound of this!!

I'd have them lines up on shelves behind the desk.
Chocolate at the front of the desk behind glass and then for sale in the shop nice boxes or packaging the customer could choose and take to the till for you to use to fill it up with sweets.when can I place an online order for some horehounds?!

[BikeRunSki]

@nursejekyll

Sweets on shelves behind the counter is more traditional.

And more secure!

This is what the paper shop in my village does.

[SonjaMorgan]

We have one. Jars behind the counter, traditional scales, traditional ice creams. Then cans of pop, touristy gifts like boxed fudge, rock and postcards in the main part of the shop.

[Cactusowl]

There’s a sweet shop near me that sells sweets from large jars. The jars are on a shelf in the shop floor and in front of each one are pre weighed and priced small bags of sweets - it works really well. They also sell imported American sweets and have a chocolate counter for nice individual chocolates.

[strawberriesontheNeva]

It's a nice idea.

[BeautifulStar]

We have a mr Simms and all love it. Gawd now this thread is making me hungry!

[BaronessVonCake]

Our local sweet shop was open a year then closed down (pre-covid) as it just wasn't a viable business. They did sweet parties, pottery painting etc too but it was never very busy.

If you're in a village I doubt you'd get enough customers to make a profit - I don't think people would bother to drive very far for a traditional sweet shop. The one in our local city has been there for years but they get a lot of passing trade as it's a city.

[IHaveBrilloHair]

We had one in our town a few years ago, it lasted a year and that's with summer tourists.

[Tickledtrout]

Used to be an old style sweet shop in our city. They had both- pretty little jars out in the shop for customers to choose from and the same sweets in big jars behind the counter. You pointed or asked and they measured out.
Also ready mixed bags for people who can't make decisions! So a mint selection or s liquorice selection etc. And little mix bags for children

[Kolo]

We've got one in our small town. Jars behind the counter - which doesn't put us off. In fact it sort of encourages discussion with the shop owners and they recommend sweets to me.

It's packed on a Friday after school - queues out of the door (before covid queuing became a thing). They also do ice creams and have a pop fridge, pick and mix and they do party bags of sweets.

[HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime]

There are several in Norwich and one in Gorleston in Norfolk called Bellyboos, they double as a cafe making those Freakshakes and other deserts. I think they make most of their money through the Cafe and online sweet orders for birthday hampers and the like, not sure you'd make enough money selling sugar mice alone.

There was another traditional sweet shop as part of a Victorian museum in Great Yarmouth and the staff wore traditional clothing ie black dress, white apron and white head covering thingy and they had a traditional afternoon tea type shop, not expensive hotel type afternoon tea, more like a cake shop I guess attached which might work.

[JustPootlingAlong]

My local sweet shop has jars, floor to ceiling all around the shop. You pick the ones you want and take them to the counter. I'm pretty sure they are plastic jars made to look like glass so would break if they were dropped.
I would actually hate it if the jars were behind the counter. I like to look at all the sweets and pick new ones to try every time but I feel that would be tricky if all the sweets were hidden behind a counter.
I love it and can't wait to get back in there once they open again!

[TheYearOfSmallThings]

It sounds lovely but, unless the business is being underwritten in some way (wealthy indulgent husband, free premesis, flourishing online sales) it won't be profitable.

[LowlandLucky]

Duplicate the jars, one set on shelves on the customer side so they can browse and a set behind the counter for you to make up the orders

[Moondust001]

Ooo. I must have lived in more trusting places. I recall these from 60 years ago, several since and one still a few miles from me (sadly not considered essential!). In all cases many of the jars were on shelves and you fetched them for the proprieter. As another poster said - too many to all fit behind the counter. My local one also sells old fashioned "pop" (fizzy drinks) and the ginger beer is to die for. And the Sarsaperilla. And... oh, stop it now. When will this lockdown end?????

[Thewinterofdiscontent]

We have one in our small town and there’s one in the larger town/ city I work at.
They are both small so if there’s one other person in the shop you’ve got a bit of a wait.
One of the owners is a bit grumpy too. I don’t think the model works so well in small towns as it’s all a bit too personal.I only go in to get my Dad’s favourite sweets.
The better shop does amazing hand made over priced fudge in interesting flavours and American sweets. Good for Christmas stockings.