Owners thank customers for loyal support over the years as iconic Peak District sweet shop on edge of Chatsworth goes up for sale

Sweet Gene's, a landmark sweet shop in Baslow, is up for sale after owners Stephanie Birch and Sarah Titman announced their departure earlier this week.

The iconic sweet shop has been operating in the Peak District village for over 30 years and has a loyal base of returning customers including both locals and tourists.

Stephanie, of Matlock and Sarah, of Baslow, took over in 2022 and over the last four years have worked hard to ensure the landmark shop was thriving.

But the pair, who run four small businesses between them, decided that it was time to say goodbye to the Baslow sweet shop.

In a statement issued to customers Stephanie and Sarah said: “This little shop has meant a lot to us - from getting to know so many of you, to building something we’re really proud of in such a special spot near Chatsworth, with loyal support from both locals and visitors.

“However, with our other commitments continuing to grow, we know we can’t give the business the time and energy it truly deserves going forward.

"During our time here, we’ve increased turnover by around 25%, created a strong flow of party sweet cone orders through word of mouth, and begun building commercial relationships.

“Sweet Gene's is fully set up and ready for its next chapter - offering sweets, local products, ice cream, coffee, and light food, with plenty of room to grow.

“We’d genuinely love to see someone take it on who’s excited to put their own stamp on it and continue its story.”

Speaking to the Derbyshire Times, Stephanie said: “It was predominantly Sarah who ran it for the first couple of years, and I got more involved later.

"Both of us really enjoyed being in there.

"It's been a sweet shop for nearly 36 years and we’ve heard so many lovely stories from people coming in and saying they used to come in to the shop as a little child with their grandparents, and now they're bringing their children.

"I had someone come in this week and she said she hasn’t been for years, but she knew she was coming this way and had to come in and get the sweet she used to get as a little girl.

"We’ve really enjoyed talking to the locals who come in regularly and the tourists who've been coming for years.

"It (the shop) has a real sense of history and community and it’s been lovely to have little conversations about the shop’s past.”

Many loyal Sweet Gene's customers are sad to see Stephanie and Sarah go.

Stephanie said: "Me and Sarah have a really good rapport with a significant number of the regular customers so quite a lot of them were sad.

"We told them that it was still going to be a sweet shop, but they were disheartened that we are not going to be there."

Stephanie thanked customers for their regular support throughout the years.

She said: “I would like to say a huge thank you to all the regulars, to locals and tourists who come back each summer, to regulars who come once a month religiously and stock up on their sweets, and people that come daily for ice cream.

"A really big thank you for people taking the time to chat with us and share their stories and just keep coming back and keep the shop going.”

Stephanie and Sarah found it difficult to dedicate enough time to Sweet Gene's, which saw a 25% increase in turnover since they first bough the business.

The pair co-own Hathersage Bakery with Rebecca Bowler, while Sarah runs Baslow Physiotherapy practice, specialised in women's pelvic health, and Stephanie runs Birch Strategic Services.

Sarah and Stephanie said that their departure was not the end of the Sweet Gene's’ story but a new chapter with even better opportunities to come.

Stephanie explained: “ Between us, we own four businesses, which is one of the reasons why we're letting Sweet Gene’s go.

"We don't have the capacity to make it what it could be.”

The pair already had dozens of messages from people interested to take over the shop – but want to make sure that the right people run Sweet Gene's.

Stephanie added: “We’ve had about 50 inquiries within 12 hours, it was a really big immediate response.

"It is really nice to see that a lot of people who live locally and have known about the shop for a long time want to step in.

"We have we kept our prices really cheap, because a big part of our philosophy is that people should be able to walk in and afford something.

“We have never wanted anyone to walk in and feel like they can't afford anything and have to walk back out.

"That’s why we will be looking for the right person to make sure they've got the kind of ethos we have.”