Anthony Johnson, 36, has opened Candymonium on Eastbank Street in Southport town centre, selling traditional sweets from glass jars alongside freshly-made milkshakes and cold drinks. He is following in the footsteps of his great grandparents, Wendy and Reg Miller, who ran a large pick'n'mix stall inside Southport Market.
Family legacy and childhood memories
Anthony told the ECHO: "They had their stall there for almost 20 years and people would travel a long way from there because they were the first in Southport to do a sugar free range."
He recalled visiting their shop as a child: "I remember being a kid and going to their shop and asking my grandad if I could pinch some of the sweets. It was always so wondrous when I was younger because you'd be looking around and thinking 'this is the best life ever, my grandad owns a sweet shop'. What more could you want?"
From burnout to opening his own shop
Anthony, who lives in Southport, said he considered opening his own store after taking a break from his full-time job. He had worked in domiciliary care for seven years and felt burnt out, so he stepped away from support work. He said: "During that moment of peace I had a realisation that now was my time and I needed to stop working for other people. It was only in April this year that my mind even started considering having a shop. The first thing my mind went to was the sweets because that nostalgia side of it is something we've been missing for a long time."
He gained business insight from running a children's play centre in Preston for three years, but starting his own venture has been "both exciting and also nerve-inducing." His great grandmother has been offering advice, though she has only managed to visit the shop once due to mobility issues. He said: "She was so excited and she was really happy to see the shop and see people coming in."
Building stock and community
Anthony prides himself on affordability and has been building his stock based on requests, customer feedback, and popularity. He said: "The first few weeks when we opened started off quite slow and I kept thinking what have I done and questioning why nobody wants to buy sweets anymore. Since the summer holidays have started, it's really picked up because of word of mouth and people realising we're there."
Floral Gums and Cherry Lips are among the most sought-after sweets. The shop also hosts DSM Collections every Saturday, offering a large range of Pokémon cards to buy or trade. Anthony said: "It's all about going back to that proper nostalgia. Pokémon's something I've always collected and I was about eight years old when it first came out."
He enjoys hearing customers' memories: "I love speaking to customers and seeing people's reactions to sweets they've not seen in years. I've taken so many requests that I've been able to fulfil since I've been open and that's brought me back regular customers which is really nice."
Regulars come from as far as Liverpool, Wigan, and Burnley. Candymonium also offers online offers with delivery within the Southport area, or click and collect from the shop.
