Bar is more than flavour of the week (From Stroud News and Journal)

Bar is more than flavour of the week

A staple ingredient of 1950s teen flicks, the milkshake bar has connotations with pink-shirted waitresses and double-dating cheerleaders. But with his blend of optimism and ambition, Stroud's Jon Bown has brought fresh ingredients to a retro idea. And, with over 140 flavours and counting, his mix and match milkshake Mecca has definitely gone large in Stroud. Reporter Alli Pyrah headed down to Merrywalks Shopping Centre to meet the man behind Crazy Shakes.

"Going from the security of having an annual income is a big gamble," said Jon, who, at 22, has traded in the relative security of his job as an estate agent for the chance to become one of Stroud's youngest entrepreneurs.

"It's not like a hairdresser or a clothes shop where it's a tried and tested idea.

"The people of Stroud could have either embraced it or totally rejected it."

He needn't have worried. Since Crazy Shakes opened last month, business has been so frantic he has already had to advertise for another member of staff.

"During the summer holidays, sales were completely off the scale of what I had anticipated," he said.

"Now it's settled down we are still doing two times more than I expected to do."

He attributes his success so far to the novelty factor of the venture, particularly in a small town like Stroud.

"Because we are only geared towards milkshakes, people are intrigued," he explained.

"And there's such a wide menu, they want to come back to try another flavour."

He plans to sustain his customers' interest by continually changing and expanding the menu.

At present, it is approaching 140 flavours, with new combinations being tried and tested all the time.

"We initially took the obvious such as Maltesers, banana and strawberry," he said. "Then we sat down and went through all the chocolate manufacturers, cakes, etcetera.

"I admit that I haven't tried them all but the majority of them have sold, which has been a relief.

"We are getting kids coming back time and time again, having bizarre concoctions.

"We had one kid come in the other day who had Starburst with a Bourbon biscuit and custard topping.

"It's always a competition between them as to who can get the most flavours in a milkshake."

But most of his customers are less adventurous, opting for best-sellers such as Maltesers and strawberry.

"People who are sceptical about the idea feel they can't go wrong with strawberry," he said.

"It's been a really popular flavour, especially in the first few days."

The idea for Crazy Shakes came about when Jon saw a similar venture elsewhere and decided it would be perfect in Stroud. He spent December last year putting together a business plan, secured financial backing in February and gave up his job at Parkers Estate Agents in Stonehouse at the end of May.

When the shop opened, kids queued round the block to get their hands on one of 50 free milkshakes or catch a glimpse of skateboarding legend and former Stroud resident Danny Wainwright, who had been drafted in for the launch.

He is now in the process of planning seasonal additions to the menu, such as mince pie flavour for the Christmas holidays and toffee apple for bonfire night.

He has also had a lot of requests for organic and vegan shakes, and is looking into the possibility of bringing out a Soya milk option.

And he is already thinking about how he can expand the business.

"A lot of people have come from out of the area and said this would really work in their home town," he said.

"Also, we need to strike while we are hot. People have seen the idea and it's easy enough to turn it into your own.

"I am looking to go to Swindon or Weston-Super-Mare rather than the obvious places like Gloucester or Cheltenham.

"It's a business instinct. You either want it or you don't. I think it's in my blood."