A SWEET shop in Colchester has been serving up treats to people in Colchester for more than a decade. 

The Gazette spoke to Darcy's Traditional Sweet Shoppe, in Eld Lane, as part of our new campaign to support the dozens of fantastic independent and family-owned businesses in Colchester.

The store has been providing hundreds of unique sweet treats to the residents of Colchester since 2012. 

Gazette: Team - Carly Carter and her co-worker JackieTeam - Carly Carter and her co-worker Jackie (Image: Newsquest)

Carly Carter, the co-owner of the shop, said: "Our top seller is the pick n mix, of which we have 76 different ranges.

"Every week I order 76 different types of pick n mix to make sure that we have a good range of sweets and are really stocked up for Colchester as there isn't anything like that in the city, so we really are unique.

"We have a lot of different sections in the shop such as the American and international sweets, the unusual drinks, kids novelty sweets and of course a lot more around the shop.

"We also do bubble tea, not with the milk but with the juice, which works with the shop as it is a lot sweeter.

"I'm also pushing sugar-free sweets at the moment, which I really want to try and bring more of as there isn't loads of it easily available." 

Gazette: Front - the shop's exterior Front - the shop's exterior (Image: Newsquest)

The sweet shop is named after Lady D'Arcy who founded Eld Lane and took part in a lot of charity work for the poor.

She built eight almshouses with her husband, Thomas, for the poor in 1634. 

Almshouses are charitable housing and were maintained by the vestry, the rector and churchwardens, who were trustees of the charity. 

Gazette: History - the plaque History - the plaque (Image: Newsquest)

Darcy's shop is housed in one of the rebuilt almshouses, built between 1897 and 1905.

Carly said: "We have a plaque on the side of the building and because Lady D'Arcy supported the local community, we try to do that now and we try to represent those morals."

Carly has been working at the shop for a year with her step-brother who both took over the business from their brother.

Gazette: Colour - Carly Carter, 38, the co-owner of Darcy'sColour - Carly Carter, 38, the co-owner of Darcy's (Image: Newsquest)