By aomi Smoot-Kimble Rappahannock News Staff Writer For many

By aomi Smoot-Kimble Rappahannock News Staff Writer For many regulars it was more than just a bookstore. The Old Sperryville Bookshop was a part of their day and a part of their lives. “There are a lot of things that Jim did for the community and Rappahannock in general. There are a lot of us that came here and had coffee and doughnuts in the morning. It’s the passing of an era,” said bookstore patron Bob Lander. He and dozens of others attended a party Friday night celebrating the bookstore’s sale from James and Joan Gannon to new owners Nancy and Greg Ostinato. Gannon said he and his wife had been considering selling the bookstore, which opened in 1998, since last year. “We enjoyed it very much and we’ll miss it in some ways,” he said. He has fond memories of Christmas in Sperryville and said he enjoyed seeing children visit Santa Claus (Ben Jones) in his bookstore. “One of the great benefits of running the bookstore was meeting a lot of wonderful people,” said Gannon. However the store, which was open every weekend, was a drain on the Gannons’ time and limited their visits with their six children and nine grandchildren. It also forced Gannon to postpone work on an historical novel he had begun, a project he looks forward to completing with his free time. This love for writing is one passion which Gannon and new owner Nancy Ostinato have in common. Ostinato, who formerly worked in mental health, has recently begu,n work on a fictional account of an adopted child who found her birth parents. Ostinato’s real life includes two children, an eight-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son, both of whom are currently enrolled in Fairfax County schools. Not wanting to uproot the children who are already settled in for See BOOKSHOP, Page B2