Features
A Quarter Of
NOSTALGIA, SWEETS AND BAGS OF FUN – A QUARTER OF
The online sweetshop of yesteryear
A Quarter Of is the coolest place on the web to buy those long lost, retro sweets of the past. Remember Flying Saucers, Kola Kubes, Palma Violets and Gobstoppers? Thought they had disappeared? Not so. Online sweetshop A Quarter Of allows old school sweet fanatics to get their teeth into a huge selection of nostalgic treats - including Cherry Lips, Sherbet Double Dips and Acid Drops.
The AQO Story
A Quarter Of began life as a simple conversation in a local pub - The Plough Inn, Winchmore Hill, Bucks with a nostalgic chat between Michael Parker and his brother - reminiscing about the great childhood sweets and lamenting the sad disappearance of the Space Dust, Black Jacks and Sugar Mice. Right then, a challenge was set to find those lost, but not forgotten, sweets of the 1970s and 1980s - to recreate 'The Chocolate Box', the small, crammed sweetshop that Michael used to frequent with his pocket money, wide eyes and sticky fingers as a child. The idea of opening his own sweet shop had been growing in Michael’s mind. Knowing how much fun reminiscing about the good old days could be, he wanted to capture that elusive 'retro vibe', while offering 21st century, Online access to the wealth of sweets from two decades ago.
Celebrating its fifth birthday this year A Quarter Of has had to move location every year to accommodate the sweet shop's growth in both popularity and size; now stocking over 600 sweets and sending out up to one and a half tonnes a day. Most recent additions to A Quarter Of include - Hand Made Iron Brew Humbugs, Soor Plooms, Chelsea Whoppers, Violet Buds and Lucky Tatties.
Retro Revival
Michael wanted his online store to be quirky and have a strong 'personality', reflecting the atmosphere of 70s and 80s childhoods. Although not a conscious decision to tap into the 80's revival, the popularity of School Disco, the launch of 80s pop compilation CDs, and the re-issue of Transformers and Masters of the Universe toys, has already struck a chord.
A Fun Site
A Quarter Of aims to be a fun site which encourages interactions with its customers via its "Suggest a Sweet" link (which has led to the addition of many of the customers favourite sweets), the "Whatever Happened To" forum where visitors can share memories of sweets, old television confectionery commercials and daydream of the good old days.
Whizzer and Chips
The look of the site also rekindles memories of the past. The cartoon characters which are dotted throughout the site add to the nostalgic feel - being based on Michael's favourite comic when he was young - "Whizzer and Chips". In fact all of the cartoons on the site have been especially drawn by Colin Whittock - who used to be a cartoonist on Whizzer and Chips itself.
A Quarter Of is the gateway to over 600 sweets ranging from Edinburgh Rock, Anglo Bubbly, Black Jacks and Chelsea Whoppers to Fizzy Cola Bottles, White Chocolate Fish and Chips, Fruit Salad Chews and Sherbet Pips; so see if you can find your childhood favourite.
