The owner of the world’s oldest sweet shop has revealed that classics such as pear drops, bonbons and humbugs are still his best sellers – despite selling candy from across the globe.
The Oldest Sweet Shop first opened its doors 199 years ago in Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire, and Ben Howie, 29, says Britain’s taste for treats hasn’t changed too much since.
Hard-boiled sweets from the 1800s and 1900s like midget gems, cola cubs and rhubarb and custards are still flying off the shelves, according to the young entrepreneur.
But Ben, who lives in Knaresborough and took over the store five years ago, admits that modern-day favourites such as Haribo gummy bears also continue to prove popular with his sweet-toothed customers.
He said: ‘We sell all types of treats, but the traditional hard-boiled sweets are by far our best sellers.
‘We have all different types from across different centuries but it’s the old ones people want, I guess you can’t escape the classics, they are still the favourites for a reason.
‘So it seems the country’s sweet tooth hasn’t changed too much.’
The store was officially crowned the oldest sweet shop on the planet by the Guinness Book of Records in 2014.
The Oldest Sweet Shop, situated in Pateley Bridge, North Yorkshire, first opened its doors 199 years ago (James Hatfield, who runs the business along with his brother, is pictured)
Ben Howie, the store’s owner, has revealed that classic hard-boiled sweets like pear drops, bonbons and humbugs are still his best sellers
Located in a 400-year-old building, the store still features its original till, which was once rescued from an antique shop
It is located in a 400-year-old building which only fits about 30 people at a time – and customers have been known to travel from as far as Sydney and China for a glimpse.
The store has remained virtually unchanged and features its original till which was rescued by previous owner Keith Tordof after he recognised it in an antique shop.
And traditional glass jars are still placed on the nostalgic shop’s dark wooden shelves, with more than 20,000 people flocking to visit every year.
Ben runs the business, perched at the top of the high street, along with his brother James, 21, who helps out with sales.
The younger sibling said The Oldest Sweet Shop tends to be a hit with older customers as it is something of a ‘blast from the past’.
He said: ‘There are sweet shops everywhere, but you never find one like ours with old-fashioned jars, and the antique till.
‘There is a lot of nostalgia in here. It isn’t uncommon for customers to come in and be ruing over which sweets they want like Fruit Salads or wine gums.
‘They can be inside making up their minds for 20 minutes, and even when they come to the till they aren’t sure.’
The brothers were reluctantly left with little choice but to raise the price of their traditional 1p sweet to 5p after the COVID pandemic amid rising business costs.
James said: ‘We had to change the price just after COVID up to 5p, which was a huge shame.
Around 20,000 customers flock to North Yorkshire every year to visit the historic sweet shop
‘It was a staple for a lot of people, but it just wasn’t sustainable to be able to pay for the cost of the product and bills.
‘It would have been great to keep, but we couldn’t unfortunately.’
James and Ben have since expanded their business online after building a website on which customers can place orders.
They said the move has helped to grow the business, which they hope to keep open for centuries to come. The duo said it’s important to ‘keep that bit of history’ alive.
Ben added: ‘Seeing the customers come in and be excited about the shop and the sweets is great, it really excites me.
‘Hopefully we can keep going for another 200 years.’
