So, Bookends on Castle Street is empty now - it only took about a day to strip it out, shelves and all. In fact, the old SWALEC sign is now visible over the facade. When I first came to Hay, it was the place where you could pay your electric bills, and where you could go for help with any problems, with a very helpful and knowledgeable lady behind the counter.
Across the way, Chris Arden will be closing his shop shortly - he's the Natural History specialist. Some trade will continue online.
The Bookshop on the Pavement is now having its closing down sale, after a summer of running down the stock.
But, in happier news, Barnabee Books has opened up today, where Sage Femme used to be, near the Clock Tower. He'll be specialising in Observer Books, Ladybirds, Shires, and other series books, and has moved out of Broad Street Books to expand.
In other changes, it's the start of the new plastic bag regime right across Wales. Everyone now has to charge a minimum of 5p for a single use plastic bag, in an attempt to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags with them and cut down waste. It's been very successful in Ireland, apparently. At the Cinema, we have found that our bags are thick enough to count as "bags for life" rather than "single use", so we're charging 20p for them from today (they actually cost us something like 13p each).
And when I was down at the Library, paying my Council Tax, the Council were delivering a new supply of re-cycling bags for library staff to give out when needed. They seemed to be delivering rather a lot, considering that the whole system is going to be changed at the end of the month. Instead of plastic sacks, we will all be getting different coloured boxes to put our paper, cans and plastic, and glass in, and a compost caddy for food waste, and a "wheeled bin" (they don't want us to call it a wheelie bin) for anything else left over. The collection of glass is a good thing - at the moment I trundle down to the recycling bins in the car park when I get a sack full of beer bottles (which isn't all that often, honest!). They've already tried this around Ystradgynlais, and say it seems to work, so we'll see how it goes.
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5 comments:
I wonder where the Council expect us to keep these wheelie bins and plastic boxes? Many of us don't have back gardens and very little frontage on to the street. Still be good not to have to trudge across town with all those empty wine bottles!
The Welsh Assembly has got it all wrong about plastic bags. Most people won't worry about having to pay 5p for a carrier bag. They should have made the figure at least 20p if not 50p. There again perhaps they should have levied a 500% tax on the plastic bag manufacturers in the first place.
Talking of plastic bags, I still can't understand why the Council has decided to no longer provide poo bags for us dog owners, particularly odd when Cllr. Ratcliffe is heading the Poo Fairy campaign. Considering his chip shop is responsible for around 25 per cent of the litter round this side of town one would think he might wish to do something to encourage dog owners to be more responsible.
I wish he would consider providing his customers with biodegradable wooden forks too, instead of the little blue plastic ones that litter the streets and footpaths in the neighbourhood.
Monday morning rant over . . .
Has Bookends closed down or moved? I hope it hasn't closed down. It's the first shop I visit when I go to Hay.
I'm sorry to say that Bookends has closed for good. At the moment I haven't heard what's going to take over that shop.
Thanks for letting me know. I'm really sad because I loved that shop.
321-Bookends have just moved. The shop is now up in Three Cocks and is now open to the public daily. It is well worth a visit, its lovely and they have great books at great prices.
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