Sweet gamble paid off

A YOUNG mum who risked opening a shop at the height of the pandemic has found sweet success.

Lisa Edgar’s store Candy Dreams, which opened in Arbroath High Street in September 2020, has also survived soaring energy prices.

She initially started in December 2019 from home, taking orders for bags of sweets which she sent to customers.

At the start she was packing orders at night after her daughter went to bed. Then in March 2020 the country went into lockdown.

She said: “I was doing far too much from home at that point so in September 2020, still in the middle of the pandemic, I decided to go for it and open the Candy Dreams shop on the High Street.

“Opening at that time didn’t affect people coming in, although it was a bit odd. I was more scared about opening a business in the middle of a global pandemic and was it going to be successful?”

Three years on the shop is still popular and is serving classic sweets, treats and snacks.

In fact, she has branched out into milkshakes, ice cream and even takeaway coffee orders.

Lisa hopes to build up her online presence and start taking more orders through her website, perhaps venturing into the world of TikTok.

She said: “As a small business owner you have to be the accountant, marketing executive, cleaner, team leader and everything in between. The social media aspect isn’t my strong suit.”

Rising energy costs have meant further worries but Lisa has found support from other local businesses like networking group, Oath For Arbroath, which has helped her get her sweets into the town’s cinema.

Lisa Edgar.