Sweet treats from 1940s shop sold for £8,000 at auction

The contents of a 1940s-style old English sweet shop, which has attracted visitors from around the world, have been sold at auction.

Dave Walker opened Edward & Vintage in Tissington, Derbyshire, in 2012, but the 50-year-old has sold up to move to Sanday in the Orkney Islands.

A Victorian counter, original Bakelite scales and a bar of 1920s Bournville chocolate were part of the collection.

They were among 100 items sold for a total of £8,000 at Hansons Auctioneers.

Mr Walker, originally from Gedling in Nottinghamshire, said he started collecting items at flea markets from the age of 10.

His business has been visited by a host of celebrities - including actress Joanna Lumley and TV presenter Christine Bleakley - and covered by media in Japan.

The shop has also been filmed for TV shows including BBC's Escape to the Country and The Great Interior Design Challenge.

Other items to sell at the auction included a multitude of sweet jars, vintage display cabinets, the brass shop counter bell and enamel advertising signs.

The owner thanked the customers who kept him going over the last decade: "I've had the most amazing time. They're a brilliant bunch of loyal people."

The shop closed its doors last month and has reverted back to being part of the Tissington Estate.

Mr Walker said he was astonished by the response to the auction.

"Some people drove miles and miles to be there," he said. "There must have been around 150 people at the sale.

"One former customer made a six-hour round trip from Essex just to pick up four glass sweet jars. She wanted her daughter to have a keepsake.

"Another lady was determined to buy a toy dog on wheels she'd hankered after since coming to the shop as a girl of 10.

"That's exactly what I wanted - my wonderful, supportive customers to wander off with a memory."

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