Julie Arriens, store manager at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, Conn., is retiring after 25 years with the bookstore, effective March 27.
In her "Dear Reader" column in the bookshop's newsletter, owner Roxanne Coady offered a tribute to Arriens: "Over the years, many of you have been kind enough to tell us how much you value and appreciate our booksellers. A great deal of that credit belongs to Julie Arriens, our store manager.... Sad for us (and very good for her), Julie is retiring.
"Julie has brought a level of commitment, wisdom, and care that any organization would dream of. We have been extraordinarily fortunate to benefit from that talent for so long. She will leave a real hole--not just within the store, but in the broader community that has grown around it.
"She has hired and trained and nurtured literally a generation of booksellers. All these wonderful booksellers, with Julie's guidance, have made tens of thousands (umm, maybe hundreds of thousands!) of readers happy. Over Julie's 25 years with us, she has imprinted her DNA--her passion for our community and our readers--into everything we do. Her legacy will remain--in the quality of our booksellers, in our dedication to service, and in the ethos of RJ Julia..... If you get a chance to stop by, please share in our heartfelt gratitude for her extraordinary impact on RJ Julia."