Almost as the changeover from senior to junior Coles took place, the Dixons decided to retire and sold the business in the Spring of 1978. The Dixons moved to Chichester, where John became a guide in the cathedral and worked part time in a solicitor’s office. This was a severe blow to the Pottery, because that first winter the new Merrythought owners no longer wanted to carry this extra stock, so the Coles had lost the cushion of paid stock orders to fund the wages - let alone afford the capital to introduce some new badly needed designs to the existing ranges The new owners were Beryl and Roy Barnes, for whom it was the intermediate stage between retirement and old age. Roy had been Chief Fire Officer for Essex and was an expert in the control of oil fires. From time to time he was still called away to assist with difficult flues. Probably their interest in dinghy sailing had drawn them to Rye. The remarkably young age of such retirements with a good index-linked pension meant that they were free of the sort of financial worries that beset many or us - and certainly at the Pottery! Because of the incomprehension of the situation in Ferry Road it was never a comfortable relationship. They put a lot of energy into developing the shop and searched amongst the items made at Rye Pottery for items that would produce new profit centres. Roy talked a lot about “Marketing” and “Product” and anything further from the rather arty and scruffy Rye Pottery outfit can hardly be imagined!

An example of this new approach to “merchandising” was when The Merrythought started to market House Plaques, which Roy knew several of the potteries in Rye made, as well as Rye Pottery. A serious effort was made to try and rationalize sizes, designs, colours and delivery times to take out as many of the complications as possible, and they took a lot of orders for plaques. Friction soon developed when orders would be taken, perhaps at the weekend, when the Pottery was closed and things could not be checked, for difficult subjects and designs, or wildly over optimistic delivery dates were quoted. Roy was quite sure that the Pottery was being inefficient, which it probably was, but also difficult and obstructive, which it wasn’t. “Marketing” in this context was a joke. When the artist and head paintress June Woolley, who painted all the plaques, was off work for six months with a back operation, meaning no plaques were made, Roy Barnes was furious as The Merrythought had to stop selling house plaques. Unfortunately Beryl Barnes developed cancer and died after a relatively short illness. Roy carried on for a while, but his heart wasn’t in it - perhaps the shop had been something that his wife had wanted to do rather than him ?

He sold it to Ve and Mike Webb, who had run The Simon the Pieman cafe two doors away. It too, was a halfway stage to retirement for them; a gift shop being much less demanding than anything connected with serving food! Ve ran the shop with the help of Mrs Beatrice Bishop, a French lady who had worked there part time and as cover for days off since the early Dixon years. Mike Webb devoted his energies to managing their land at Icklesham. They had been an occasional Pottery customer previously, ordering honey glazed ginger jars with Simon the Pieman in black lettering on the lid, presumably to sell full of the fudge for which the cafe had been famous for many years. They were long term enthusiasts of Rye Pottery both the pre and post war output. This was probably the most easy and relaxed relationship with the Pottery since the departure of Olive Holmes. The Merrythought was no longer the dominant customer and the figures - mostly The Canterbury Tales - now only filled the side window. Ve Webb ran the business for almost fifteen years before it was sold. The years passed without any serious stresses in the relationship and one was surprised that they had been there so long. Rye Pottery missed the passing of this little outlet with a big sales punch, but it came as no surprise and its demise was no longer fatal for survival. The rather charming Rye Pottery name plaque with a jester has since been removed and all that is now left at the premises of 72 Church Square is a small wrought iron sign which used to read RYE POTTERY but now with the word pottery blacked out, leaving a totally meaningless reference to any passer by.

© Tarquin & Biddy Cole 2006