P&J Sweets set to open new sweet shop in Darlington

Amy Hardy started her online business P & J Sweets three years ago after the birth of her second child.

The 28-year-old currently runs the business from home in Darlington, preparing orders and managing stock herself.

Her new shop will be located at the Queen Street Shopping Centre.

The mum of two said: “P & J Sweets started as a dream.

“I’d spent countless hours researching all the correct ways to go about setting up an online sweet shop, looking into all the legalities and what was needed to be done on my end, but I never got past the ‘looking into it’ stage.

Amy Hardy with her two children Phoebe and Jasper. (Image: Amy Hardy)

“In August 2023, when my second baby was three months old, I decided just to go for it.

“I used the £250 I had in my savings account, bought ten different types of pick and mix sweets tubs to store them in and everything else that was needed to get started.

“From there it started to slowly grow.”

Amy started working market stalls and even plans to begin chocolate fountain hire from next month.

The sweet business has appeared at market hall stalls in and around Darlington (Image: Amy Hardy)

“The response so far has been amazing,” she added.

“The difference is, we’re not just a sweet shop. You can walk into any general shop and purchase sweets. We sell nostalgia.

“But all of this feels surreal. One minute we’re buzzing with excitement, planning displays, picking products, imagining the shelves filled with sweets – and the next minute we’re having a mini panic, wondering if we’ve remembered everything or if opening day will actually feel like a fever dream.

Amy currently runs the business from home. (Image: Amy Hardy)

“It’s the most exciting and terrifying thing we’ve ever done.

The mum of two said none of this would have been possible without the support of her loyal customers.

The shop’s exact opening date is yet to be announced but Amy hopes to open in early to mid-February.