Lucky to have a superior store

Hooray for Rye’s newest bookshop and its appropriate name: The Rye Bookshop.

Those thinking its arrival is somehow ‘sneaky’ are misinformed and those thinking it should be called something else, like Waterstones, misinterpret an effort to be an integral part of our community by, for example, catering specifically for the reading needs and interests of Ryers and Rye visitors.

That Waterstones judged Rye a town worthy to be a direct recipient of its expertise in book selection, the knowledge and skills of its staff and a boundless bookworld network was for many of us a cause for celebration.

Anyone venturing in during its first days knew immediately it was a Waterstones. No sneakiness there. The Waterstones Card many of us use when paying as well as the Stamp and Save card offered at the counter are just two of the ways this is made immediately clear.

I too am immensely sorry that so many independent bookstores have had to close, largely for lack of the skills and contacts built up by Waterstones. But as one whose responsibilities over a lifetime have always included book selection and buying for libraries and resource centres at a full range of levels, I am so grateful personally and for Rye that our town can claim a superior bookshop.

And each time I visit I admire anew the range of quality books on offer, beautifully organised, revealing remarkable insights into what those who enter want to find and might be encouraged to explore.

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