Congratulations to Diane's Books of Greenwich, Conn., which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The Sentinel reported that Diane Garrett "chose a little space on Grigg Street with lots of charm and neighborhood appeal.... Flash forward 25 years and her formula hasn't changed a bit, the shop is still bursting with books, her customers keep coming back and her competition has died off. She has endured the growing popularity of big box bookstores, e-books and Amazon. She has taken on each challenge with compassion, curiosity and communication--and always class."
"It's about the customer and everything else follows," Garrett said. The Sentinel also cited her judgment free attitude ("I don't care what you read, as long as you're reading.") and highly selective inventory ("Every book we have is there for a reason."), combined with her most important ingredient to create success: "It's focus," she said. "We only do one thing. We don't have sidelines. We don't have coffee. We only focus on getting everybody the right book and caring about them."
Longtime customer Judy Petersen observed: "Diane Garrett is a treasure and her store is a treasure chest."
"We just want every day to be the best we can be and the kindest we can be--to keep dancing and smiling and laughing and having fun," said Garrett.
