THIS corner shop has been dubbed the UK’s best as its rare treats and cheap prices attract 45-minute queues.
Mazza Treatz in Swansea, Wales, stocks products from all over the world from everyday favourites to unusual items like KFC-flavoured crisps and gherkins stuffed with sweets.
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Childhood friends Muz Ahmad and Safyan Shahid run the shop, which has become a TikTok sensation.
They are proud of the range they have on offer, with the majority coming from overseas.
Mexican Coca-Cola, which Muz say is “the best”, Canadian Twinkies and cinnamon-toast flavour lip balm are all available.
At one point, they even offered Dr Pepper-flavoured baked beans.
And it’s not just an international flavour that attracts the punters, with the shop serving up discontinued snacks to those craving a taste of their childhood.
For example, they have three chocolate bars which were pulled from UK shelves years ago but are still made in Australia.
Turkish Delight Dairy Milk, Creme Egg Dairy Milk and the Cadbury Dream (a white chocolate bar) all provide some much-enjoyed nostalgia.
They also have a bit of an unexpected best-seller, as pickles have become a trend according to Muz.
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Of the strange craze, he told Wales Online: “People love them mate.
“It’s been 99% females. They’ll come in, buy a pickle, and eat the whole thing.”
The pair of pals opened their doors in 2021 and, while the pandemic scuppered their launch party, they found fame on social media.
Muz said: “It blew up. Every day people would be queueing for 45 minutes.
“We’d shut the shop at 9pm and we’d be here until 1am making sweet bags and restocking the shelves.
“For a lot of families it became a Friday night treat. Parents would say to their kids: ‘If you do your chores you can go to Mazza’s.'”
In clips posted online, Muz appears as his V for Vendetta mask-wearing alter-ego Jeff, dolling out sweets to customers and trying some of the shops more unusual creations, like stuffed pickles, out himself.
Despite the shop’s popularity, Muz and Saf have resisted the urge to raise prices and claim that they charge about half or even a third of other stores.
Cans of pop come in a £1.50 and boxes of sweets at between £2.20 and £2.50, a bargain considering how rare some of the products are.
They also offer bags of sweets, with over 50 different items in each one.
Customers can select from the jelly, halal or vegan bags, with the latter apparently becoming a hit for its sour flavour even with non-vegans.
For those despairing that they don’t live in Swansea there is good news, though, as the team are “actively looking” to open a second shop in another part of Wales.
Even better, Muz added that his goal would be to open a branch in every city in Wales to bring rare, tasty and affordable treats to as many people as possible.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
