Itteringham Village Shop
What's on offer?
- Groceries
- Deli Counter
- Whole Foods
- Wines & Beers
- Delicious Cakes,
- Hand Made Pies
- Pet Foods
- Local Produce
- Ices & Sweets,
- Books
- Maps
- Plants
- Fax
Home deliveries available
Community steps in when family shop closed
The village shop used to be a family business run by the Fairheads, who lived in the connected house. When Brian Fairhead died in 1994 his wife, Dorothy, carried on alone for a while before deciding to retire. The prospect of losing the shop was a real blow to the village, so a group of locals negotiated with the estate that owned the building to take it on at a peppercorn rent and run it themselves. However, the estate eventually wanted to sell it. The village held its breath but when Jane Withers brought it in 2002 she was determined that the shop should stay and that she would live in the adjoining house.
It was Jane who helped point the shop committee in the direction of the available grants. They received funding from the Countryside Agency and a loan from the Industrial Common Ownership Fund. She also established a charming gallery in what used to be the stockroom.
The committee are all volunteers but everybody who works in the shop is paid. There are no assistants; they are all called managers. Income from sales is underpinned by fundraising events, like open gardens, quiz nights, supper dances and the annual bonfire party. Local support even extends to the supply of merchandise: some residents fill up the fruit-and-veg shelves with produce from their own gardens, free of charge.
There is a little post office counter and a coffee corner with tables and chairs and, alongside, thanks to a connection with a book wholesaler, there's a modest selection of new paperbacks at tempting prices. The shop is licensed now, which it never was in the Fairhead's time, with a stock of decent wines. Handy, say the locals, because it saves a trip to town.