Archives for Business
Aladdin’s Cave on the Ridge
CHRISTINE SANDERSON What’s the link between the tragic fields of Flanders in WWI and an unusual shop on The Ridge? Well, built around 1920, that iconic building was a workshop…
Sew Far Sew Good
ALISON BUCHANAN If you’re tired of wandering around the shops or endless scrolling online and still can’t find the perfect dress or coat, then maybe it’s time to develop your…
Sixty Years of Cosprop
ALISON BUCHANAN John Bright OBE, award winning costume designer and founder of the Bright Foundation, is a source of inspiration for many. His costume and prop house, Cosprop, specialising in…
Keep Your Love Alive
ALISON BUCHANAN extends some loving thoughts and suggestions for Valentine’s Day We’re getting in early so you’re not rushing to the local garage for flowers when our next issue is…
Hastings – Christmas Gift Haven
ALISON BUCHANAN offers some tips for last minute Christmas shopping We are blessed in Hastings and St Leonards with an abundance of independent traders offering something for most tastes, quirky…
It Takes a Village
JORDAN CONNELLEY Hastings is full of beloved small businesses and taking a stroll down Queens Road, you only need to peer into the cozy Prince Albert or packed Imperial and…
Shining a Light on Local Business
ROD WEBB reports from the 1066 Business Awards Ceremony I arrived at the Montgomerie Suite at Bannatyne’s Hotel at 11am to set up the brand new Hastings Independent ‘feather flag’…
Winning the Extra Mile Category
Alex, Vanessa, Izzy, Billy (and Oona the friendly dog), took the reins of the then Bodiam Ferry Company in 2012, developing the business along with Lime Wharf Cafe. HIP interviewed…
Copper Pot finalists of Gin Guide Awards
This issue, HIP Business gets an exclusive interview with Copper Pot, recently founded independent gin and spirits distillers, and finalists in the prestigious Gin Guide 2025 High ABV & Navy…
Weekend Ritual
This issue, HIP Business editor JORDAN CONNELLEY pops down to Ritual, a newly opened independent bar located at Marine Court, as they celebrate their first five weeks in operation Run…
Shared Spaces
JORDAN CONNELLEY With looming tariffs, trade wars, and increased economic uncertainty, HIP investigates the growing trend of shared commercial spaces in Hastings and the positive effects of this new business…
Not All Kombucha is Created Equally
Booyah Vitality began its journey in the Driver family garage during the pandemic when kombucha was barely on the radar. Its founder, Lisa Driver, had been dedicated to improving local…
5 alive: Old Town Trader Celebrates Setting Up Shop
CHRIS CONNELLEY Opening a new retail business is always challenging, but doing so today, in an age of online dominance, never having run one before and with only a basic…
1066 Business Awards celebrate excellence in 2025
The highly anticipated 1066 Business Awards are back for 2025, promising to shine a spotlight on the exceptional businesses that make Hastings and Rother thrive. This prestigious event celebrates innovation,…
Tackling Business Fraud
ROSIE MURPHY It is my intense love for crime fiction and detective dramas that first made me interested in fighting crime, and it turns out that my skills in accountancy…
New Cycle Shop for Hastings
With cycling continuing to increase in popularity, Cycleshack Hastings, located in the former Handsome Cycles premises on Harold Place, is a welcome newcomer to the town and already doing brisk…
Boxes of Delight
Perfect Planters is a local family-run business, custom-making wooden planters for gardens, courtyards, and outside ; The enterprise is the brainchild of owner Steve Dale, 67, who operates from an…
A Photographic Continuum
Iconic local shop under new ownership DAVE YOUNG Although a work in progress, Tariq Chaudry’s new shop, Hastings Photographic, at 42 White Rock is very much open for business. Situated…
Post Office Ltd – How Not to Run a Business
ROD WEBB The Great Post Office Scandal is responsible for ruining the lives of more than 700 sub-postmasters. Find how this happened when Nick Wallis comes to Hastings to talk…
Get Hastings: More than Lifestyle
ROD WEBB talks to Mel Elliott, Editor-in Chief of Get Hastings, about the new quarterly arts, culture and community magazine that was launched two weeks ago. If you haven’t noticed…
Women of Mass Distraction
KATE SHAW I heard the buzz around the latest show at Stella Dore before rounding the corner into Norman Road. Owner Steph Warren is keen to point out that the…
Shopping with the Seasons
FIONA MCGARRY looks at what you should be buying from your greengrocer through the year. January: Christmas veg such as Brussels sprouts and red cabbage are often cut price in…
Food Crisis or Just Shop Local?
ROD WEBB Having lived through the pandemic and the more recent ‘egg shortage’, I’m a bit sceptical of media stories and government spin. During the pandemic we seemed able to…
Reviving The Great British Pub: The North Star
SAMARA JAYNE MARTIN Are the days of ‘The Great British Pub’ behind us? Since we were plunged into the depths of a nationwide lockdown, the social landscape seems to have shifted.…
Up Close and Personal
Running a sports club can be complex and time consuming which is why many sports clubs are run as businesses. So how do you know if you are getting value…
Use it or Lose it
HIP Business talks to Steve Burton about running a hardware store in the current economic climate. The message is clear: Support your local traders or see them disappear. The Kings…
Cost of Living Support
East Sussex County Council is providing information on how to cope with the cost-of-living crisis. The information in this article comes from one of their newsletters. The recent costs of…
Finding a Happy Place
By Rod Webb ‘Business’ conjures up the process of making money – or indeed, failing to do so. But for some, money is of less importance than supporting their community.…
Feel the Breeze
HIP talks to Pete Gibson and Brigitte Wrenn, directors of the new Pilates fitness studio on St Leonards Sea front to learn more about Reformer Pilates and find out what…
More Aclaim for Rock Rose Beauty
HIP Business meets Lindsay Wright, co-founder of Rock Rose Beauty to talk about their award-winning skincare product. Some people are able to turn a crisis into an opportunity and that’s…
Brewing up a Storm
Damien Pestell meets the Brewing Brothers, Ned and Charlie Braxton, to find out about their business ventures which have culminated in the new Brewery Tap Room on the Ridge. Some…
A Lot of Bottle
HIP talks to Gina Hewitt and James Hickson to find out more about Hastings latest independent wine shop The Bottle of Hastings. Gina and James outside the off licenceCREDIT: Rachel…
Cibus Waste from Food to Fuel
By Dave Young Around 10 million tonnes of waste food is thrown away in the UK every year, much of it going to landfill and thereby creating environmentally harmful greenhouse…
Old Town Traders
The Hat Shop By Des Wilson Back in the day my dad always wore a hat, or to be precise, a cap at weekends and a hat for business, presumably…
A Visual Echo
If you’re a musician you may already know of EchoNova, a local design studio working particularly – but not exclusively – for various bands. HIP recently talked to its owner,…
Old Town Traders
The Cigar and Pipe Shop By Des Wilson Behind the shop doors in the Old Town you discover a special kind of personality. Their stories are love stories, fired by…
Old Town Traders
Robert’s Rummage By Des Wilson The little shop at No 68 the High Street is packed. Curiosity-seekers crowd the narrow aisles between piles of ‘stuff’. They come from all over…
Happiness in a box
A hidden industrial estate in the north of Hastings is home to many fascinating enterprises. HIP paid a visit to one: Treatbox was founded in 2014 by Zoe Charlton, a…
Rewilding your garden
A lot of people need professional help maintaining their garden. Many would also like to make it environmentally friendly and sustainable. Ewen Farr, ‘The Wildlife Gardener’, aims to do both.…
Old Town Traders
Hare and Hawthorn By Des Wilson Hare and Hawthorn is an unusual name for a bookshop, and this one in George Street is full of surprises, not least its owner…