These shops are the traditional storage buildings of the Hastings fishing fleet. They were used in the past to stow gear made from natural materials - cotton nets, hemp ropes, canvas sails etc - which would rot if left in the open, especially when wet. If possible, the items would be dried on the beach first, and then kept dry inside these weatherproof stores.
Until well into the 19th century, the buildings could be called either a "net shop" or a "rope shop". They were known as "shops", not because they were selling something, but because that is an old term for a working place, as in "workshop".
