a guide to the independent businesses of Sussex.

Across neighbourhoods, villages and coastal paths, independent businesses and creative communities are shaping a different pace of life - one rooted in local ownership, small scale, and a closer connection to place.

It feels like a return to community, craft, seasonality and slower living. You see it in small-batch wineries, off-grid cabins, breweries, folklore workshops, foraging routes and markets - built by people who care about where things come from and how they’re shared.

Sussex Stories exists to document and connect this.
To pay attention to the places taking shape, the people behind them, and the details that might otherwise be missed.

At the heart of the platform is a curated map of independent Sussex businesses - cafés, pubs, shops, stays and spaces that feel personal. A guide to the places people return to, where culture is growing quietly and with intent.

Everything featured on Sussex Stories is independent.
Because that way of doing things matters.