Thorntons - The Moor Store

The Moor Store

The Moor would be the next best place because the rents would be lower and there were considerably more passers-by. It was here in the basement that Joseph began some simple manufacturing of his own products, he would demonstrate to Norman how to make simple boiled sweets such as Fish Mixtures and Mint Rock. In a back room on the ground floor of the shop there was sufficient space to start manufacturing chocolates.

The family left the rented house in Hathersage and moved into rooms above the shop, thus efficiently combining retailing, manufacture and accommodation under one roof. Norman’s youngest brother Stanley obtained a scholarship to Sheffield University to study Chemistry and Physics but because the family was so short of money he was under pressure to relinquish his university place and join his brother Norman in the business. Helpfully, the University allowed him to attend on some evenings and on Saturday mornings to study food technology and this later became a very valuable asset to the business.