Dear Reader...

"What a Sweet Idea!"

As you know by now I'm opening a traditional sweet and toffee shop in Wakefield (and if you don't already know then I presume you've wandered along here and don't follow me on Twitter or Facebook or any other such site!!)

So how's it going?? Well, it's been kinda slow cos I'm funding it myself and it's been done over a period of a few month, but in the long run I know it's going to be a lot better. I know that in the end I'm going to fully own a superb little business with little or no competition in the locality and I'll also have that satitsfaction of knowing I owe knothing to no one...not an investor, or a bank or even a landlord as I own the property the shop is going into. So anything that I make will be going back into the family pot...which is great. this venture is all about growing something special for my family to enjoy and reap the rewards of.

And yes I do know there is a "recession" on at the moment and now really isn't the time (supposedly!) to be starting a business but there is a method to my madness i promise. My thinking is as follows...everyone likes a little sweet treat and if they can be taken back to a previous time then a trip dwn nostalgia street really isn't going to be a bad thing. Also when people can't afford to splash out thousands on big treats like new cars or expensive holidays then they may spend a couple of pounds on a small treat instead...or at least that's what I'm hoping for at any rate...that and the fact that we are based in Yorkshire and when people can't afford to go abroad on holiday then popular "staycation" locations are places like Yorkshire and the Lakes and Scotland...so I'm hoping to get on that tourist trail if possible.

So there is a bit of thinking behind it all and hopefully it will pay off...but most importantly I want to run a business that I enjoy, one that I have fun doing.

So that's what I want to do - bring a bit of FUN back to my business. So as such I'm offering "naming rights" on the jars of sweets. What's that? Well it's a simple but good idea. For the princely sum of £10 you can "name" a jar of sweets of your choice after yourself or a loved one (or the not quite so loved ones if you wish to name the super sour bombs after your Mother in Law!!) That jar of sweets will then be know as "Joe Bloggs Midget Gems" for a whole year afterwards. You also will be give a quarter of those particular sweets when they are "christened" and you'll get another quarter on your birthday or other special day such as an anniversary.

So as you can see it's a bit of fun, but it also makes a different present for a loved one or a friend.

But you'll have to be quick as the jars are being snapped up quickly since word got out, so if you're interested I've made a list of the jars we are getting in and the ones with the stars and names after them are the ones that are already taken. Of course if you fancy something that we don't have on the list, let us know and we'll do our best to find it so you can put your name to it!

1. Aniseed balls
2. Rainbow Crystals ***Bobby's Rainbow Crystals***
3. Fudge
4. Sweet Tabacco
5. Wine Gums
6. Pear drops
7. Invalid Toffee ***Patrick's Invalid Toffee***
8. Midget Gems ***Jim's Midget Gems***
9. Rhubarb & Custard
10. Yorkshire Mix ***Emma's Yorkshire Mix***
11. Jelly Beans
12. Floral Gums
13. Sherbert Pips
14. Dolly mixture ***Nanny Barbie's Dolly Mixture***
15. Strawberry Bon Bons ***Dave's Strawberry Bon Bons***
16. Lemon Bon Bons ***Mia-Louise's Lemon Bon Bons***
17. Coltsfoot rock ***Wizzy's Coltsfoot Rock***
18. Pontefract Cakes ***The original Chumbers***
19. Liqourice Torpedoes ***Jemma's Liqourice Torpedoes***
20. Sherbet Lemons

21. Chocolate eclair toffees ***Nick's Eclairs***

22. Chewing nuts ***Chumbers Jr's Chewing Nuts***

So if you're interested in one of the jars then leave me a message in a comment and I'll pop you down for one and will contact you about birthday dates and payment etc, so make sure yu leave me an email address too! ;-)