About Us

Helmsley Traditional Sweet Shop was opened in July 2013, based around the ethos of selling sweets using the old-fashioned method – out of large jars into paper bags, with customers able to choose the amount they wanted.
Having a family background in sweets – growing up in York with relatives working in all three major sweet manufacturers: Rowntrees, Terrys and Cravens – the shop was a return to our roots.
The aim was to be able to track down companies who had been manufacturing sweets for many years and still produce sweets as they tasted when we were all young. Sadly many had ceased trading but several were found and nearly all are based in Yorkshire – for example our Yorkshire Mix is made by Maxons of Sheffield.

The lovely thing about the shop is that everyone smiles on entering as the rows of sweet jars triggers many nostalgic memories and we get told lots wonderful stories about people’s childhoods.

Your Favourite Sweets, with a Personal Touch

We often say the shop is for grown-up children as it transforms them back to when they were young, and quite often gives them a warm feeling while they eat their sweets, alleviating the modern stresses of life for a few moments.

We try very hard to be conscious of the environment and all our empty jars are given away to customers for reusing in another format, I keep bird seed in mine! We sell the loose sweets in paper bags and have just changed to biodegradable labels. In the next few months the plastic gift bags will change to cellulose bags – they stood the test of keeping sweets fresh in the tropical jungles of Borneo!

– Lynn Hempsall, owner

Meet the Team

Helmsley opening hours

While you can buy our sweets 24/7 on the internet, you might also like to pop in and see us at the Helmsley shop!

Monday: 10:00am to 4:00pm

Tuesday: 10:00am to 4:00pm

Wednesday: 10:00am to 4:00pm

Thursday: 10:00am to 4:00pm

Friday: 10:00am to 4:30pm

Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm

Sunday 10:00am to 4:00pm