What if Little Moons Existed in the 1970s?

Imagine walking down a busy high street in 1974. Between the record shops and the laundrettes, you spot something unexpected: a ice cream parlour called Little Moons. It shouldn't exist — not for another few decades — but here it is, fitting in perfectly among the brown brick and hand-painted signage of the era.

Tucked between the chippy and the laundrette, this Japanese-inspired ice cream parlour brought a touch of Tokyo to the British high street before anyone knew what mochi was. The glass counter displays rows of perfectly round, pastel-coloured mochi ice cream balls — each one handmade, each one a tiny moon. Paper lanterns sway gently, cherry blossom branches nod from ceramic vases, and the friendly assistant in her pastel apron will let you try every flavour before you choose.

The Details That Sell the Illusion

Every Modern Retro storefront is built from the visual language of the 1970s — warm tungsten lighting, Kodachrome film tones, wood panelling, and period typography. Here's what makes the Little Moons store feel authentic:

• Hand-painted sign with pastel pink letters and a crescent moon
• Glass counter with rows of colourful mochi balls
• Paper lanterns and cherry blossom branches for decoration
• Mint green and pink tiled walls with retro charm
• Chrome bar stools with pink vinyl seats

The Absurdity Factor

Part of the charm of Modern Retro is the contrast between what a brand does today and what it would have been in the 70s. Little Moons as a ice cream parlour is wonderfully absurd — the kind of shop you'd walk past without a second glance, never knowing that decades later it would become something entirely different.

That tension between the familiar and the impossible is what makes these images work. They're not parodies — they're love letters to an era when everything was a bit more tactile, a bit more human, and a lot more orange.