Popular East Preston tearoom to close as owner says goodbye to the village after 27 years

The lease on Kerry's Coffee & Deli Shop expires on August 31 and owner Kerry Frost has decided to take the opportunity to retire from East Preston after 27 years in business in the village.

She ran a concession at Rustington Golf Centre for three years before coming to East Preston in 1996 to open Kerry's Coffee Shop and Restaurant near the library.

Kerry than opened the gift shop A Touch of Frost across the road a few years later and when the bathroom and kitchen shop at 45 Sea Road became available in 2013, she bit the bullet again and opened Kerry's Tearoom.

She has been there ever since, though the name has changed over the years – first to Kerry's Community Teashop and now Kerry's Coffee & Deli Shop.

Kerry said: "I have loved every minute of being here and the whole village has been very supportive. I will be very sad to go but very excited. I have been in the village for 27 years and it is time for pastures new.

"People ask how we have made it a success – maybe with years of retail and catering experience, diversifying was always second nature. We have always changed with the times and rebranded after Covid with the deli.

"My 27-year journey has been shared with some very memorable staff, whose contribution has been so greatly appreciated, and the support given to each other on countless occasions has been truly gratifying."

The shop stayed open all through Covid, with daily deliveries and Kerry working every day for six months. Her Mother's Day cream tea offer attracted around 150 orders, one from as far as Australia, as relatives tried to make the best of not being able to meet up due to restrictions.

When shops could open again, Kerry was conscious of the tearoom's small size and did not feel having nine tables back was appropriate, especially with distancing still being considered important as restrictions lifted. Instead, she extended the range of food on offer and made space for the deli, with her homemade quiches among the many popular features.

Kerry said: "It has become like a community centre. Neighbours often pop in for a chat. We have made loads of lovely friends. You could not want for a nicer village to work in. It will be very strange."

The shop had an old-style lease that automatically ended and Kerry did not want to be committed to a new lease. She was unable to sell the tearoom but understands the landlord has new tenants, although the nature of the business is unknown.

Over the years, Kerry has supported the RNLI with a sales table outside the tearoom, as well as fundraising for Rustington Scouts and East Preston Festival.

Kerry was chairman of the festival for two years and one of her proudest moments was winning two awards in the same year, Café of the Year, an Arun Business Partnership Award, and the Festival of the Year Award in 2017.

She will still be running Kerry's Hampers and Cookshop at Bosham Walk, offering personalised hampers, and hopes lots of her regulars will be going over there to visit.