Not ‘au revoir’ but ‘a bientot’ for Reeds of Misty Valley Books

By Shawn Cunningham
© 2016 Telegraph Publishing LLC

With about two weeks left before Bill and Lynne Reed are scheduled to move from the house next to Misty Valley Books on the Chester Green to their new digs in Walpole, N.H., more than 75 friends and customers turned out at the Fullerton Inn Tuesday evening to mark the occasion and wish them well.

New owners Michael DeSanto and Renee Reiner of Phoenix Books threw the party and were on hand to praise the work that the Reeds and their staff have done to build a local institution.

“We are here and we are going to keep the store as it is, maintaining the great tradition of Misty Valley Books,” DeSanto told the crowd, “We’ve invited Bill to keep giving his French lessons here in the future.”

Both Bill and Lynne Reed said that in their 15 years owning the popular, independent bookstore, there was never a day when they did not want to come to work.

Bill Reed described the stimulating interaction with customers during a day at work as “an eight-hour cocktail party without the cocktails.”

The Reeds presented each of their former booksellers with gray fleece vests with the Misty Valley cat logo as farewell gifts.

 

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