Tucked away in The Mill Courtyard, young business owner Declan Vesness has been serving up sweet treats for a year.
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Since it opened on December 4, 2019, Sweet Retreat has gone from strength to strength despite a challenging year.
Declan has put his business' success down to his resilience.
"It was knowing it was going to get better and knowing that I wasn't the only one going through it," he said.
"Every local business has gone through the same thing, so there's a lot of support in the small business community.
"I was just looking for the light at the end of the tunnel knowing that things were getting better."
Through the COVID shut down period, Declan kept his business going through home delivery and a drive-through.
"We had a gelato drive through around the back which worked," he said.
"The Mill had a delivery service and that included their market stalls and everyone in the courtyard and that went really well through COVID.
"It was good to see a lot of people supporting local businesses."
Over the past 12 months, the menu has also changed, with Declan expanding on his gelato flavours and sorbets with a new arrival: kombucha gelato.
"It's vegan-friendly - there's no dairy or egg, also there's no nuts or gluten either," Declan explained.
"It's something a bit different, something the Highlands hasn't seen before. It's something new, something different, something fresh which has gone well.
"We've also got deep-fried chocolate bars aka D2 bars. There's a choice of Mars Bar, Caramello or Snickers and it comes with a scoop of gelato and is popular in winter."
Sweet Retreats also offer milkshakes.
With 2020 on its way out, Declan hopes 2021 will bring big things for his business.
"We're still growing," he said.
"We've had a good following over the past 12 months.
"We want to become everyone's sweet retreat and after school treat and the place to be and escape everyday life."
December 4 and 5, 2020 will also mark the start of extended hours in The Mill Courtyard through December
The Mill Courtyard will be open until 8 pm for a twilight dinner every Friday and Saturday and gelato is definitely on the menu.
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