Channon's Country Store, a Rye retail stalwart since 1977, is closing.
The news leaked out last week and spread fast, with local people expressing a mixture of shock, sadness and surprise that what appeared to be a fixture of Rye was putting up the shutters.
A Channon's manager informally confirmed that "the decision has been taken", although it's unclear at this stage when the premises will actually be vacated. It seems most likely this will occur after most of the stock has been sold.
Reasons fo the closure largely appear to be related to the economic impact of the pandemic, retail shutdowns during that period and difficult trading conditions for the store since then.
At the moment, stock in the store is being sold at half price. According to the firm's website, the store retails up to 10,000 product lines — including pet and commercial stock feed, farming supplies, fertilizer, fencing, country clothing, horse riding items, shooting accessories and camping gear.
At this stage, it's hard to assess the impact on Rye and district of the iconic store's closure, but it seems certain that the local farming community will be most affected. Channon's central location and helpful service made it an important community asset, especially for farmers and country people.
