Four Colnes - It Takes A Village C.I.C

Four Colnes - It Takes A Village C.I.C We are a community interest company raising awareness and funds for local organisations for children with disabilities

Our community business will raise funds by selling second hand goods, new stock and have a dedicated area for local businesses to have trade stalls.

14/08/2026

☀️ FRIDAY — OPEN 9.30AM–12.30PM DUE TO THE 35°C HEAT FORECAST ☀️

WHAT CAN YOU FIND FOR NEXT TO NOTHING?

Today, we’re celebrating the little wins.

The mug you actually needed.

The book you’ve been meaning to read.

The extra jumper for when the weather turns.

A toy that keeps someone occupied for hours.

A plate, a picture frame, a bag, a pair of trousers, something for school, something for home, something just because you liked it.

None of it has to cost a fortune.

That’s the whole point.

At Four Colnes – It Takes a Village, we want people to be able to come in and actually enjoy shopping without mentally adding up every penny before they reach the till.

So today, come in and see what useful little wins you can find.

You might spend £1.

You might spend £10.

You might just have a browse.

All of it is welcome. ❤️

☀️ OPEN TODAY — 9.30AM–12.30PM

13/08/2026

☀️ A LITTLE HOURS UPDATE… AND A REMINDER FOR TONIGHT! ☀️

We’re still open TONIGHT — Thursday 6–8pm for Shop Till You Yawn 🌙🛍️

So if it’s simply been far too hot to contemplate shopping during the day, come and have a cooler evening rummage instead. 😴😂

Then, because of the intense heat tomorrow, we’re shortening Friday’s hours slightly:
🔥 FRIDAY: 9.30am–12.30pm 🔥

Plenty of bargains, plenty to rummage through, and all the usual wonderfully low prices — just with us sensibly escaping before the hottest part of the day!

💛 Tonight: 6–8pm — Shop Till You Yawn
☀️ Friday: 9.30am–12.30pm

Thank you so much for continuing to support our little community shop — especially through this absolutely roasting summer! 🥵❤️

13/08/2026

THURSDAY — OPEN 6–8PM

THE £5 CHALLENGE

Tonight, we’re setting you a challenge.

Come into the shop with £5 and see just how far you can make it go.

Maybe it gets you:

👕 an outfit piece
📚 a little stack of books
🧸 a couple of toys
🏠 something useful for home
🎁 a few bits to put away for birthdays or Christmas

Or maybe you’ll find one absolute gem and decide that’s where your fiver is going.

That’s the fun of it.

In a world where £5 seems to disappear frighteningly quickly, we still want it to feel like real money in our shop.

Money that can buy something useful.

Something needed.

Something lovely.

Something that gets another life instead of being thrown away.

So tonight, bring a fiver and see what you can turn it into.

Then tell us your best find. ❤️

🌙 OPEN TONIGHT — 6–8PM

📍 Four Colnes – It Takes a Village
15 High Street, Earls Colne

How far can your £5 go?

12/08/2026

🌙 WEDNESDAY — WE’RE OPEN TONIGHT 6.30–8.30PM

Midweek plans?

We’ve got one for you. ❤️

Tonight the doors are open from 6–8pm, and the shop is full of the sort of things you didn’t know you needed until you spotted them.

👕 Clothes
📚 Books
🧸 Toys and children’s bits
🏠 Homeware
💎 One-off finds
♻️ Loads of good-quality secondhand bargains

The lovely thing about our shop is that you never really know what you’re going to find.

You might come in looking for one thing and leave with a completely different treasure.

You might find something for the kids.

Something useful for home.

Something for yourself.

Or something that makes you say:

“I can’t believe that’s only £1.”

And because so much of our stock is one-off, once it’s gone… it’s gone.

So if you’ve been meaning to pop in, tonight is a very good night to do it.

🌙 OPEN TONIGHT — 6.30–8.30PM

Come for a browse, have a chat, find a bargain and help us keep good things in use and affordable for local people. ❤️

11/08/2026

💚 TUESDAY — WHY PLACES LIKE OURS MATTER

We’re closed today, but we’ll be back tomorrow evening 6.30–8.30pm.

There’s something we wanted to say today that goes beyond opening hours and bargains.

For some people, secondhand shopping is a choice.

For others, affordable shopping is a necessity.

There are families trying to stretch every pound a little further.

People starting again after difficult circumstances.

Parents whose children seem to grow out of their clothes overnight.

People living alone, older residents, carers, disabled people and households quietly struggling with costs that just keep going up.

And sometimes people simply need somewhere they can walk into without worrying whether they can afford to be there.

That matters to us.

We deliberately keep our prices low because everyone deserves access to the things they need without embarrassment or judgement.

Nobody has to explain their circumstances.

Nobody has to prove that they're struggling.

You can come in, have a rummage, have a chat, find something you need — or simply find something that makes you smile.

And when somebody who can afford to spend a little more chooses to shop with us too, it helps us continue keeping those prices affordable for everybody.

That's what It Takes a Village means to us. ❤️

🌙 NEXT OPEN — WEDNESDAY 6.30–8.30pm

10/08/2026

💛 MONDAY — OUR OPENING HOURS THIS WEEK

A little reminder of when you can find us this week at Four Colnes – It Takes a Village:

🛑 Monday — Closed
🛑 Tuesday — Closed
🌙 Wednesday — 6.30–8.30pm
🌙 Thursday — 6–8pm
☀️ Friday — 9.30am–2.15pm
🛍️ Saturday — 10am–3pm
🛑 Sunday — Closed

We know everyone is watching the pennies at the moment, which is exactly why places like ours matter.

We work hard to keep our prices genuinely affordable, while giving good-quality clothes, books, toys, homeware and all sorts of other treasures another life.

And if you are able to shop locally this week, please do.

Small local businesses, community organisations and independent shops need support more than ever — and every visit really does make a difference.

You don’t have to spend a fortune.

Pop in for a browse, pick up a bargain, tell a friend about us, share one of our posts or simply come and say hello.

It all helps. ❤️

Thank you, as always, to everyone who continues to support us.

09/08/2026

SUNDAY — OPEN 9AM–11AM

🎙️ Today, on Are You Open?…

Sunday morning.

The shop door is open.

The lights are on.

There are customers inside.

A volunteer is standing behind the counter.

And still, someone will slowly pop their head around the already open door and ask:

“Are you open?”

There will be a brief pause.

The volunteer will look at the open door.

Then at the lights.

Then at the other customers.

Then back at the person in the doorway.

“Yes, we’re open.”

The customer will step inside, slightly surprised by this unexpected development.

To be fair, we do not usually open on Sundays.

So naturally, the sight of us actually being open can feel suspicious.

At approximately 9.26am, another customer will hover outside and study the opening-hours sign as though it contains a trick question.

They will look through the window.

They will see people shopping.

They will still ask:

“Are you definitely open?”

Yes.

Definitely.

For two whole hours.

So come and enjoy a Sunday morning rummage — once you have completed the traditional doorway check and confirmed that the clearly open shop is, in fact, open.

Open Sunday, 9am–11am

08/08/2026

SATURDAY — OPEN 10AM–3PM

🎙️ Today, on The Sudden Appearance of a Very Good Bargain…

The shop is calm.

Customers are browsing peacefully.

Then somebody finds it.

The bargain.

Nobody knows how long it has been sitting there.

It may have arrived yesterday.

It may have been overlooked for weeks.

But the moment one customer picks it up, everybody nearby becomes extremely interested.

Heads turn.

Browsing slows.

A person at the next rail attempts to look casual while watching from the corner of their eye.

The customer examines the item.

They check the price.

They check the price again.

They look towards the volunteer with suspicion.

“Is that really the price?”

The volunteer confirms that it is.

A ripple moves through the shop.

The customer now holds the item firmly against their body.

They are no longer browsing.

They are protecting an asset.

Another shopper smiles politely and says:

“That’s a good find.”

What they mean is:

“I wish I had seen it first.”

The customer continues towards the till, avoiding unnecessary eye contact and maintaining a grip usually reserved for important legal documents.

The purchase is completed.

The danger has passed.

Everyone returns to browsing.

But now they are looking much more carefully.

Because somewhere in the shop, another ridiculous bargain may be hiding in plain sight.

Open Saturday, 10am–3pm

07/08/2026

FRIDAY — CLOSED

🎙️ Today, on The Rare Shopkeeper Outside Her Usual Habitat…

Today, the shopkeeper will not be found behind the counter.

Instead, she has been returned to the home environment for the summer holidays.

Here, she can be observed attempting to complete a simple household task.

She begins by putting on a wash.

Before she can hang it out, somebody needs a drink.

Then somebody needs food.

Then somebody cannot find the thing directly in front of them.

The shopkeeper returns to the washing machine.

She opens it.

She closes it.

She remembers she has not actually pressed start.

Elsewhere in the house, the children move freely through every freshly cleaned area, leaving behind cups, wrappers, crumbs and objects of unknown origin.

The shopkeeper tidies the living room.

The children untidy the kitchen.

She cleans the kitchen.

They migrate back to the living room.

This behaviour can continue for several hours.

At approximately lunchtime, the shopkeeper may attempt to sit down.

This causes an immediate disturbance.

Someone will call:

“Mum?”

The shopkeeper rises again.

Experts remain unsure whether she ever finishes the cup of coffee she made that morning.

So while the shop is closed today, please be assured the shopkeeper is still extremely busy…

Just in a different habitat.

Back open Saturday, 10am–3pm

06/08/2026

THURSDAY — OPEN 6PM–8PM

🎙️ Tonight, on The Extremely Serious Business of Choosing a Bargain…

A customer finds two items.

They only need one.

This is where the trouble begins.

They hold up the first one.

“What do you think?”

The volunteer gives a sensible answer.

Then they hold up the second one.

“What about this one?”

The volunteer gives another sensible answer.

The customer looks between them.

The volunteer looks between them.

A second volunteer becomes involved.

Then a nearby customer joins the discussion without being asked.

Suddenly, there is a full judging panel.

One item is described as:

“More practical.”

The other is:

“More you.”

Nobody knows exactly what this means, but everyone nods.

The customer tries to make a decision.

The panel becomes increasingly passionate.

“That one will go with more things.”

“Yes, but this one has pockets.”

“Pockets change everything.”

A solemn silence follows.

Eventually, the customer makes the only reasonable decision.

They buy both.

The volunteers congratulate them as though they have just completed a major life achievement.

Because in a secondhand shop, spending £2 instead of £1 is not reckless.

It is simply refusing to leave a perfectly good bargain behind.

Come in tonight for a quiet browse.

Our volunteers will be available to offer advice, encouragement and absolutely no help whatsoever with buying less.

Open Thursday, 6pm–8pm

Address

15 High Street
Earls Colne
CO62PA

Opening Hours

Wednesday 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Thursday 6pm - 8pm
Friday 9:30am - 12:30pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

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