Wealden Times | WT244 | September 2022 | Winter Interiors Supplement inside

Words: Maggie Alderson
Photographs: David Merewether
Styling: Holly Levett
Berni and Peter Leach constantly tweak
and switch up their house in Hastings Old
Town – and their wonderful shop too
To the south, your eye travels across the fishing
boats pulled up on the beach, to a wide expanse of
sea and the high cliffs marching on towards Dover.
(Except these ones are more grey, not chalk white.)
And while it’s my first call at the house, I have met the
couple before in their lovely shop, Merchant 57, just down
the hill at the bottom end of the Old Town’s High Street.
Perhaps it’s no surprise that their home has the same
appeal as the shop – a fascinating mix of new things,
with antiques, original artworks and hand-crafted oneoff
pieces. “The shop is Berni’s concept,” says Peter.
“She does all the buying, although I do enjoy it too.”
“It represents us,” says Berni. “We sell what we
would have in our house. We also like to find
things that are Fairtrade and sustainable.”
“And nothing that anyone else has,” says Peter. “We
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