The fight is on to save a 380-year-old village shop after the tenants were given six months to quit by their landlord.
The future of Itteringham Community Shop hangs in the balance in the wake of the notice being served by Hayes and Storr Solicitors on behalf of Gary and Hannah Applin.
It is the latest twist in a colourful history for the shop, which was saved 23 years ago when it became one of the first not-for-profit shops to be run by volunteers.
Today Itteringham Community Association, which manages the shop and post office, vowed to fight again.
On its Save Our Shop Facebook page, a spokesman wrote: 'Today we received the legal notice we were expecting from our landlords giving us notice to vacate our premises by October 8.
'We will be taking urgent legal advice next week after which we will then be going public with our intended course of action.
'Thank you for your support so far, we do not intend to let this be the end of a shop in the village after 380 years of continual trading.'
The legal notice is under Section 25 of the 1954 Landlord and Tenant Act and says the association can 'ask the court for a new tenancy' before October 8.
The shop was established in 1637, and has since 1994 been been run by the Itteringham Community Association and a dedicated team of employees and volunteers.
Messages of support are flooding in on the Facebook page.
Widge Savage, a long-time worker at the shop, said: 'Absolutely disgusting. Please don't let them destroy nearly 400 years of history. Itteringham needs a shop.'
Linda Baxter Groves said: 'Although I don't live there, I find this quite appalling and very sad. Your shop is so much a part of the character of the lovely village of Itteringham and should be there forever.'
The association spokesman added: 'As soon as the time is right we will be in a position to go public with press releases, and more than likely with an open meeting to outline where we are up to, what our plans are, and what help we will need in order to achieve our aims going forward, both in the short and the longer term.
'Thank you all for your support. Together we can ensure that our 380th year isn't our last.'
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