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All of the pieces are quickly falling into place for the current owners of Pamlico Books, Tom and Deb Ryan. 

In late June, the Ryans announced they were putting the bookstore up for sale as unforeseen family needs and situations in the Triangle area would require them to relocate. Their hope, a self-admitted ambitious one, was to sell the bookstore in the next few months before having to move away before the end of the year or risk liquidating and closing the business. 

Ryan said it was not just a matter of selling the store but being able to entrust it to the right people. “We had three criteria that any prospective owner would have to meet before we would even consider selling to them,” he said. “One, they had to be patrons of the store. Two, they needed to be local and have connections in the area. And three, it had to be more than just ‘I love to read.’ They also needed to understand it is a business. This was all very important to us because having built the bookstore from scratch, we also felt we were putting ourselves up for sale as well. We really believe we have found the person who fits that profile and feel very comfortable it will be in the right hands moving forward.”

Since June, things have been moving at warp speed for the Ryans, not only do they have an offer on Pamlico Books, but their home in Moss Landing is under contract as well. Which for them, has escalated the timeline for finalizing everything. “Things have been happening faster than we ever planned,” said Ryan. “We have been making very good use of our time by transferring knowledge to the new owners and getting them up to speed so they will be able to hit the ground running come Oct. 1, after the closing. Plus, the new owners of our home need to be in before the end of the year, which means we will be moving a bit sooner than originally expected.”

Ryan said the new owners can certainly make changes to the store if they want, but he doesn’t expect anything drastic. “They appreciate the value of a family-owned bookstore in Washington that has a little bit of everything for everyone.”

Ryan said it all remains bittersweet for him and Deb as when they moved here three years ago they made it very clear to themselves and others that Washington was going to be their forever home. But as life can often do, it had other plans. 

“I have had a hard time holding it together day-to-day,” said Ryan. “People come in and there have been hugs and tears and it has been really, really difficult. We have formed a lot of wonderful relationships with our customers and made many new friends. So, it is going to be tough to leave. But it would have been tougher if we had to close the store. We would have felt like we were letting Washington down if that were to have happened.”

The new owners of Pamlico Books will be announced on Tuesday, Sept. 10 on the Pamlico Books Facebook page. The last day under the Ryans ownership will be Saturday, Sept. 21.