Alicia Penny (42) will now help you find the right book in the Standaard Boekhandel (Zelzate)

Zelzate had to wait a very long time for a new permanent operator of the Standaard Boekhandel. By the way, it was a major career change for medical secretary and bookworm Alicia Penny.

It took eight months to find a replacement for the manager Erik Kenis, but from this week Alicia Penny will be the new face in the Standaard Boekhandel. This mother of three teenagers from Wachtebeke worked for years as a medical secretary at the University Hospital of Ghent or at a doctor’s practice, but had been dreaming of a job between the books for just as long. “I have always read a lot and have a wide interest in literature. That can only be an asset in this job,” says Alicia.

Open again on Monday

It was still quiet on Monday in her bookstore on the corner of Grote Markt and Kanaalstraat. The two ladies who have been keeping the store open alternately and on an interim basis recently had introduced a closing day on Monday. Alicia, who took over this bookstore as an independent operator, immediately changed that. “With the exception of Sundays, we are open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The regular customers will therefore have to get used to the fact that they can come here again on Mondays,” says Alicia.

Salad bowls

“It is clear that the store faltered after Eric’s departure and the long wait for a permanent manager. With great enthusiasm I want to give it a new impetus. There were also technical defects waiting to be repaired in the store for some time and I also had to work on that first and foremost.”

Alicia wants to warmly welcome her customers and guide them with care through the wide range of books, magazines, newspapers and stationery. “Every now and then I even want to organize a small event like on Saturday, May 18. Then I have a visit and viewing day here with ‘chats over coffee’ and children’s make-up in the afternoon,” she announces.