Darlington Dabber
The Darlington Dabber
Famous amongst locals for its black and white appearance and fruity flavour, the dabber is an unofficial emblem of the town. And now Hopetown Darlington has become the second - and only other venue away from Andy's Candy Bar - to stock them, as shown by our lovely Karen in the image above.
We sat down with Andy, namesake of Andy's Candy Bar, to talk all about his incredible shop and the famous lollipop.
So, Andy. What prompted you to create Andy's Candy Bar, and why in Darlington?
Andy’s Candy Bar was created to showcase to the habitant's and visitors to the town that in the confectionery industry there’s a whole world of flavour out there and that this amazing town deserves the opportunity to see it. We go the extra mile, not stocking sweets from just standard wholesalers in the UK but networking with manufacturers, from across the world so that we supply quality products consistently, remain on trend and try to lead the way as opposed to copy others.
I’m so proud of my home town, and honestly believe with its location, facilities, the businesses around and most importantly the people we are the heart of the North that connects so many people/towns and cities around us.
The shop on Duke Street was always going to happen, I’ve always wanted to have a base to connect with local people and have a business we can be proud of for visitors to the town. My daughters Holly and Poppy are 21 and 18 so it felt like the right time to open a shop.
We opened during Covid but I knew it would work. During Covid we delivered 1000’s of kilos of sweets to everyone's loved ones with personal messages (with the help of my friends and family). Covid was the busiest, most stressful and most rewarding experience in my life.
How do you choose which items to stock?
Gut feel and instinct play a huge role in what we stock. Social media has opened people’s eyes to the world of confectionery, we’ve moved on from standard bonbon or a Haribo strawberry. Instagram/TikTok showcase flavours from India, Korea, Germany, Sweden etc. Each country I find masters/tends to be great in particular products - Australian chocolate, Swedish pick and mix, Dutch liquorice, English traditional sweets, USA/Canadian snacks - so we identify that and try to source the best of these products.
Tell us about your background and your upbringing?
I’m from a working class family in Darlington. My parents always worked long hours, sometimes seven days a week, supporting myself and my younger brother and two sisters. I guess their selflessness as parents and showcasing by working hard you can improve your life played a huge part in where I am now. We’re not a work shy family.
As a youngster I always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I would shovel paths in the winter, wash cars in summer, find empty bottles of pop/beer bottles (you would get money off the shopkeeper for returning them in the 80’s). I had paper rounds, milk rounds and then was lucky enough to work in a shop with a great guy and mentor 'Paul Singh' who took me under his wing. Being around retail and visiting cash and carry’s with him for a couple of years planted the retail seed in my head, again Paul and his wife Shindo worked incredibly long hours whilst trying to balance family life so again showed that working hard/getting the rewards is ok.
After passing Business Studies at college my first job was is now EE ( previously Hutchison Telecom, then became Orange) working my way through the ranks from Goods Inward department to collections, followed by a three year stint in London supporting city traders with pagers as they traded the stock market, eventually becoming a Business Operation manager.
However, home where was where I always wanted to be and I moved back to Darlington where I met my wife Sarah.
Meeting Sarah, and when having my daughters Holly and Poppy I knew I wanted my life to change, be more flexible, make work fit around family life, so when Holly was due I took a massive gamble, we had just moved home, (took on a huge mortgage) and I told everyone I was leaving EE to set up a confectionery business (21 years ago this year) my father in law and friends/colleagues probably thought I was mad and in hindsight it does look a bit crazy however Sarah had my back and I went for it.
Sarah and I made contact with a confectionery manufacturer in Lancashire, went to visit and bought £500 of stock, and the rest as they say is history. Holly and Poppy have both worked at Andy’s Candy Bar for 3 years during school/college and it’s been incredible working with them and watching them grow for school girls to become amazing skilled and capable young women, I could not be prouder.
The famous lollipop – how did that come about?
The Darlington Dabber came about by wanting Darlington to have something to be proud of, a focal point for the business and a real quality product. Black and white (symbolises Darlington’s sports teams) raspberry and passionfruit, the flavour fools people - however they still come back for more. With over 30,000 sold, its our greatest selling product. They get delivered all over the world for all sorts of occasions.
Cornwall has pasties, Edinburgh has rock, Teesside has the parmo, why can’t we have an amazing lollipop?
The artwork in the shop window, do you do that yourself? Do you change the artwork frequently?
My sister in law is a worldwide illustrator (Helen Stephens) she produced the artwork for our first shop window design and the artwork for the Joseph Pease artwork we have on our signage, plus the gift vouchers, labels etc.
The last couple of designs have been produced by Waleria Peplinska a student at Carmel College and all of our designs are themed around Darlington, railways, local people and the Darlington Dabbers.
We change the window displayed every year.
Looking forward – do you have any plans for the shop or future goals for yourself?
We have big plans and new products to come to coincide with the 200 year railway anniversary. We love to keep connecting with colleges, schools, the corporate orders, business visits we do, but to also not lose sight that the shop and the customers who visit are always made to be welcomed and prioritised.
Being able to employ staff has also been one of the biggest pleasures. Seeing shy, unskilled students become confident, able and making huge strides forward in their life is so rewarding (being able to offer what Paul Singh did for me brings a lot of joy). Every member of the team who have worked and moved on always stop by and say hello, even offer their services if ever in need and that speaks volumes. I’m very proud of every single one of them.
Why have you decided to sell the Dabber from Hopetown Darlington?
The lollipop has always been available at Andy's Candy Bar, but with the 200th anniversary festival we wanted to help celebrate and promote Darlington to the expected national and international visitors. Choosing Hopetown Darlington, where the birth of the modern railway took place, was a no-brainer and we're glad to have them 'on board' as an exclusive partner.
You can pick up a Darlington Dabber lolly from Andy's Candy Bar on Duke Street or right here at Hopetown Darlington.