Rye has just a few chain shops and a lot of independents. Trawling its eclectic vintage/antique shops can take a day in itself, and many places present their wares beautifully, making the shopping experience itself a joy, regardless of whether you buy.
Guide to Rye: Shops
Puckhaber
Specialists in French decorative antiques – think elegantly aged wrought-iron garden furniture, oak refectory tables and hessian-upholstered seating – Puckhaber’s Rye outpost (it started out in London’s Fulham, where the original shop remains) has morphed into more of a lifestyle store. This means that sitting artfully alongside the antiques, there are products that complement Puckhaber’s distinctive aesthetic, including cosy wool blankets from Forestry Wool, heavenly fragrances from cult Brooklyn brand DS & Durga and nail polish from Milan’s Licia Florio.
Rae
Rae is basically Kinfolk magazine come to life: no shiny plastic or bright colours here, only ethical brands, muted tones, handmade objects and things that soothe the senses. Practice self care with natural beauty products from small independent brands such as Legra, snuggle up in Yonder Living slippers or adorn yourself with folk-inspired jewellery from Studio Rua. Rae has everything you need to make your dreams of a slower and more meaningful life come that little bit closer to reality – and after all that slowing down, a take-away flat white or turmeric latte from its coffee hatch will rev you up again.
Sailors
Wedged down a little passageway connecting The Mint to Cinque Ports Street, this tiny lifestyle shop is (very) loosely nautically themed, from seashell-infused soaps from the Jurassic coast to gilded oyster shell candles and brightly coloured enamelware. Artisan food – including Sailors chocolate bars, made locally by Rye Chocolate – printed stationery and soft furnishings make this a good place to find that gift that you may not have come across elsewhere.
Ryebank Gallery
Ryebank Gallery manages to pack loads of art into an impressive little space, with something for every budget from greetings cards to prints and one-off paintings, sculpture, ceramics and mixed-media artworks. The main gallery – it was formerly a bank, as the name suggests – is an airy double-height room with changing exhibitions: its ‘Open Call’ show brings in an eclectic roster of artists including ethereal wirework sculpture by Fiona Morley. Head upstairs to the hot-pink room that showcases the gallery’s playful side with screen-prints from Hannah Carvell, wall-mounted seagull heads by Jackie Summerfield and contemporary tapestries by Hastings-based Sophie Barnard.