The Sweet Quarter Leeds: Inside the nostalgic Chapel Allerton shop with hundreds of varieties of retro sweets

The Chapel Allerton sweet shop was opened by Liz and Dave Butterworth in 2021, who ran the suburb’s Post Office for more than 15 years. After a perfectly-positioned corner unit on Harrogate Road became available during lockdown, Liz had the idea to open a traditional sweet shop.

“My husband thought I was mad,” Liz told the Yorkshire Evening Post. “I wanted to open a traditional sweet shop like the ones you remember from when you were a kid - it’s got that vibe about the building.”

The pair got the keys in December 2020 and opened The Sweet Quarter when lockdown restrictions were lifted the following April. As well as more than 170 different varieties of weigh-out sweets, the shop also sells Belgian chocolates, Ryeburn of Helmsley Yorkshire ice cream and a range of American sweets that are popular with children.

Liz said: “I love seeing the smiles on kids' faces. Every time they walk in, they see something different. And the adults come in with their kids and tell them it’s how they used to buy their sweets, it’s so lovely.

“It’s the feelgood factor, especially in the times that we’re having at the moment. Everybody needs that little bit of a lift.

“We’re used to being customer-facing, so we’re all about the experience for the customer - from the way the shop looks, the ceiling is painted amazingly, and we’ve got all little knick-knacks for the kids to find around the shop.”

The pair have lived around Chapel Allerton all their lives, and are well-known in the community after running the Montreal Avenue Post Office for more than 15 years. Liz said the support for their sweet shop has been “unbelievable” - not just from customers, but from other businesses too.

Liz said: “We got broken into not long ago, and The Woods put out a callout to encourage people to support us. Honest to God, we were so busy that day - it was so nice to have so much support from all the community. Since we’ve been open, everybody has been really supportive.

“It’s nice to see the community in a different aspect and in pleasant surroundings, whereas the Post Office could sometimes be a little bit doom and gloom. It’s been lovely to see new people and to meet new customers too. I love this area.

“I think with Covid, people started to appreciate independents more. People use all the independents in Chapel Allerton and it’s a great vibe, and I don’t think it’s like that everywhere. We’ve got a really nice community spirit going on which helps all the little shops around.

“We love the positive feedback, and when people tell us they didn’t know how much they needed a sweet shop until we came along. That’s what keeps you going, even though some days can be tough. As long as we can keep going - we will!”