Before moving to Rye last year I lived for 10 years in Sandwich, a sister Cinque Port located in East Kent.
Along with its medieval charm, one of the reasons I moved there was the plethora of independent shops that were scattered around town, including a beautiful and well stocked Sandwich Bookshop.
Unlike Rye, Sandwich’s biggest employer wasn’t the tourist trade but Pfizer, the large international pharmaceutical company. When Pfizer announced its closure in early 2011, with the loss of 1,500 jobs, it also led to the decline in the number of independent shops that the town could support.
One of the early victims was the Sandwich Bookshop, which closed its doors for the final time in July 2011. The owner Louise Vance said at the time: “Like so many independents before us, the odds have been stacked so far against us that it is now just too hard to compete on such an unlevel playing field. Competing with the likes of Amazon and the supermarkets… has been hard.”
On hearing that the Rye Bookshop is actually owned by Waterstones it set me wondering, will bookshops in small towns only survive if they can call on the financial and marketing power of a larger parent company?
So, having now moved to Rye, the question for me is: do I want my new high street to house a bookshop, independent or not? The answer to that is ‘yes’. I applaud the fact that Waterstones has invested in Rye while at the same time enabling the local manager to stock what shoppers want and therefore supporting, according to Waterstones, Rye’s ‘wonderful literary heritage and eclectic tastes’.
I also commend Waterstones for considering the character of the High Street by making sure the shop fits into its fabric. There is no doubt that the Rye Bookshop fits in well – can you say the same for the other national chains located on the high street?
Rye News photo library
There’s been a bit of a storm in a teacup in writer circles this week about the “revelation” that the Rye Bookshop, and two other similar shops, are owned by Waterstones. No great secret to anyone who goes to a lot of bookshops; it took me about two minutes on my first visit to notice the Waterstones branding on some products.
I agree with you, Kevin; I’d much rather have a Waterstones-owned bookshop than none at all. Most readers don’t care who owns the shop–they just want an attractive shopping experience, a well-curated selection of books, and the option to order books if they don’t like shopping online. The Rye Bookshop delivers on all three counts. It supports local authors, holds frequent events, and gives visitors a place to find out more about the town and county.
So I’ve been vigorously defending the Waterstones initiative online. I love indie bookshops and I’d welcome another one in Rye if there’s anyone with deep enough pockets to start one up. But with half of all print sales now online, that might be only a dream. So I’m cherishing the bookshop we’ve got, and while I do buy online I also make a point of buying regularly from our local bookshop.
I welcome the return of a bookshop to the High Street. One of the problems I see with our little town is that it now panders too much to the tourism trade. If you want to buy something useful, it can be very difficult to find without venturing further afield. By way of example, we enjoyed a local bakery on the High Street until very recently – and when it suddenly closed it was replaced by …. a candle shop. It has been remarked to me that Rye resembles an historic theme park – Trinket Town.
True, far better that we have occupied shop units rather than the depressing emptiness of many town centres these days. But perhaps more “useful” shops, whether or not part of a wider National brand, could be encouraged to become a part of it?
…… but it’s a great shame that we have had to say goodbye to the wonderful lettering of Michael Renton that used to adorn the Martello Bookshop. Are there any other public displays in Rye to remember this great local carver, engraver & sign writer?
The current replacement looks like a piece of unimaginative stage scenery painting.
A straightforward solution to this would be to add the words, “by Waterstones” (or similar) onto the main sign board. It needn’t be in large writing; just underneath the main title and using the same blue colour scheme. Then everybody would be clear what’s what, with no element of disguise or deception involved.
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.
As the owner of the premises at 23 High Street I would like to make it plain that Poppies, the bakery closed because the baker decided not to renew the lease. Contrary to what was reported at the time by this and other news outlets there was no discussion of an increase in the rent. As a former Rye resident I was anxious that any new tenant would be a useful addition to the High Street. However the only taker was the current occupier. The shop is attractive and better than an empty premises.