Many village residents were unhappy about the loss of the village shop so a Public Meeting was arranged to discuss the possibilities of getting the shop back in business.

After further meetings, many hours of negotiations, fund-raising and a great deal of frustration, sufficient funds were raised to enable the purchase of the premises. Village residents purchased shares in the newly formed 'Etchingham Community Shop association Ltd.', an Industrial and Provident Society (IPS).

An IPS is a 'not for profit' body, owned and managed by the members of the Society, any profits made being eventually used for the benefit of village projects and organisations.

After many weeks of hard work, the shop was finally ready for opening on Saturday June 14th 2003, when a large crowd gathered outside the shop, bringing traffic to a standstill, to witness village resident, and  Editor of the Daily Telegraph, Mr Charles Moore and his wife Caroline open the newly fitted shop, assisted by Mr Andy Patel and Mr Ken Thomas.
Andy Patel had been appointed as the initial manager to get the shop up and running until a permanent manager could be appointed, Mr Thomas, a previous owner, with his wife, of the former Etchingham Stores, is the Hon. Secretary of the Etchingham Communitry Shop Association, and was at the time Clerk to the Parish Council. 
 
 

The Etchingham Stores is now able to offer a good range of groceries, provisions, frozen foods, beers, wines and spirits, newspapers and magazines, cigarettes, confectionery, E-top-ups for mobile phones and fresh fruit and vegetables much of this is sourced locally. The shop is also an agent for dry cleaning.
A good range of local products is available, the list continues to grow. Local products currently available include cakes, sausages, honey, cheese and yogurts, ice cream, plants & flowers, sandwiches, beer and wine.
In the winter the shop has coal and logs available, in the summer months barbeque charcoal can be purchased.

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