Meet the Team!

Home Meet the Team!

Georgia

Owner

Georgia opened Imagined Things in July 2017! She left her job as an NHS Radiographer to follow her love of books & dream of having a bookshop! Georgia has always loved English & Science (don’t get her started talking about radiation!), and torn between an English degree or something more science based, Georgia decided on Diagnostic Radiography! After graduating from Leeds University in 2011, she started work in x-ray at Harrogate District Hospital, staying there for almost six years & training as a specialist radiographer in CT scanning during that time. So opening the bookshop was a bit of a change!

What I think of owning a bookshop: It’s amazing. It’s been tough, scary & challenging – but it’s WONDERFUL. It’s the most brilliant, creative, inspiring of industries & I love being a part of it. Leaving my career as a radiographer was a huge decision but its one I’m massively proud of – just because you’ve gone down one path doesn’t mean you have to stay on it!

Why I love books: I’m truly passionate about imagined things & the books that contain them! Stories are powerful & they are so important. They bind us together, teach us and transport us.

My Favourite Books: I adore fantasy because through things that couldn’t be real we often see the truth of our world & our lives all the clearer. I also love the what ifs & warnings found in dystopias. I’m a HUGE Stephen King fan & have read 26 of his books. I read fairly broadly but there’s usually an element of the fantastical, speculative or magical realism. I love REALLY good writing too (Margaret Atwood is the master!). I’m a fan of fascinating non-fiction of various kinds too. You can see more of my favourites here.

Random Fact: Georgia’s lucky number is 7 – after she had a car accident on 07.07.2007 – whilst that may not seem lucky the fact she was relatively unharmed after being rolled 9 times at 70mph was pretty lucky overall!

Georgia won’t be found as often in the shop as she’s expecting the smallest member of the team this Spring (2021)! We think the baby bookseller will keep her occupied for a while, but fear not Fable will be keeping booksellers organised!

Debbie

Deputy Manager

Debbie joined the Imagined Things Team in June 2018. Originally from Dublin (not America!), Debbie was raised on stories, thanks to her parents who introduced her to the Brontë sisters and John Le Carré from an early age. When she’s not in the bookshop, Debbie works as a Theatre Practitioner, directing and producing shows for young people and adults.

Here’s what Debbie has to say about being an Imagined Things Bookseller: Working for Imagined Things is a gem of a job! (Even when entire days can be spent on admin! Or battling with Georgia’s clutter!) Getting to connect with other readers, finding the perfect book for people or recommending a book to get someone interested in reading is such a joy! I find the book industry fascinating and getting to work with publishers and authors is a real treat.

Her book tastes include: I tend to vary wildly between genres, but in my teens I fell in love with the Classics, (yes, I was that kid who read The Illiad for fun at fifteen!) and still treasure them! Fantasy is always my cup of tea, especially ones inspired or based around folklore and mythology. Detective mysteries and crime dramas never fail to intrigue me. I love middle grade adventures and am a big advocate for YA books! If you’d like to see more of my favourites you can see them here.

Random Fact: I used to play Ten Pin Bowling for Ireland

Why she loves books: Neil Gaiman once said: “Writers tell lies for a living. But they are good lies that tell true things”. Stories help us to learn in a comforting way. To find out more about the world we live in and ourselves.

Debbie was promoted to Deputy Manager, in late 2020, ahead of Georgia’s maternity leave! Hooray for Debbie! She is very pleased that she now has full control over the level of clutter (& other important matters!) in the bookshop with Georgia absent! Her dream of working in a tidy bookshop may now come true!

We’re delighted to have Debbie’s organisation, diligence and passion for books. We’re so thrilled to have her at the helm of Imagined Things as we enter this exciting new chapter!

Meg

Bookseller

Meg started at Imagined Things in October 2020, and although she’s new to the team she absolutely loves it. Books have always been a massive part of Meg’s life, and she’s continued the family tradition of hoarding books on every surface in her flat. Meg is local to Harrogate and has enjoyed being a part of the community since volunteering at Bilton and Woodfield Community Library as a teenager.

She likes fantasies, dystopias and LGBTQ+ stories. She also likes tea, hats and strange jumpers. Her favourite book is The Book Thief and she loves anything that teaches her about the world or involves magic. Dislikes: when the dog dies. If you’d like to see more of Meg’s Favourites you can find them here.

Why I love books: “Books make us more empathetic and take us to places we would never be able to without them. Whether it’s escaping to a fun journey through the stars, or learning about inspirational lives, reading is a magic like nothing else.”

When she’s not reading or in the bookshop, Meg is a filmmaker and artist, her experimental short films have been featured in multiple festivals and won awards including Best Writing and Best Film. She’s still trying to reach Bob Ross levels of oil painting.

“I love bookselling because who wouldn’t love being surrounded by books all day!? Talking to so many different people about so many different types of books is so much fun, and helping customers find the perfect book is so rewarding. Being a part of the process of someone finding joy in reading is simply magical, and I love working with such amazing booksellers (Fable is my favourite).”

Random fact: Meg plays seven instruments (eight if you can count the triangle)

We’re very pleased to have Meg’s creativeness and empathy on the Imagined Things Team! She’s been an asset to the shop already by taking a special interest in social media (including Georgia’s least favourite – Instagram!), our website (including taking the pictures you see above!) and in dragon wrangling – Fable’s book eating count has never been lower!

Hayley

Bookseller

Hayley joined the team as a Bookseller in Autumn 2020. In a year where many were taking great comfort in the escapism & solace of books, she found the perfect job recommending them!

Being an avid reader from a young age, Hayley went on to study English Literature, as well as Film and Theatre at University. Here she found a particular love of Gothic literature & continues to be enthralled by ghost stories, fallen women & tales of decadence. More recently she reads as widely as possible & her favourite books include Room, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Neverwhere, The Book Thief & The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, to name a few. See more of Hayley’s favourites here. She dislikes: A rushed ending!

Why I love books: ‘As a mental health advocate, the power of books is often unparalleled. The active escapism it provides not only focuses the mind, but reduces everyday anxieties & encourages imaginative creativity. I could easily & absently scroll through social media whilst watching something on telly, but a book is often your sole attention and better for it.’

What I love about the job: ‘You’ll often find me answering the phone or jumping on the computer ready to answer emails, as nothing beats interacting with our customers (and an empty inbox). Working at Imagined Things has also vastly improved my gift wrapping skills which started off as…dubious. But what I love most is the sense of community Imagined Things has cultivated since its opening, I often feel like I’m learning as much about books from customers as they do from me!’

When not working at Imagined Things, Hayley works as a Freelancer in theatre as well as at the local Cinema. She is passionate about story telling, whatever the medium: theatre, film, illustration, video games & especially books.

Fun fact: A devout film fanatic, Hayley’s friends often know her as their own personal IMDb.

We’re so pleased to have Hayley’s enthusiasm, expertise and extraordinary email answering skills! We’re happy to have encouraged her wrapping abilities – she even bought Christmas wrap!

Fable

Bookshop Dragon

Fable, the bookshop dragon hatched in the bookshop in 2017 and immediatley joined the team. She lives in the bookshop and goes flying around Valley Gardens in her spare time. She loves guarding the books, though she’s sometimes a little over enthusiatic! Burnt books notwithstanding Fable is our most magical team member!

Her book tastes/specialisms include: How to Train Your Dragon, Firewatching and a Fergal is Fuming – she has a particular interest in magical realism and dislikes stories where the existence of dragons is denied! You can see more of her favourites here.

Here’s what Fable has to say about being an Imagined Things Dragon: “I love living in the bookshop – there’s so many books to burn, ahem, I mean, protect!”

Random fact about Fable: She hates mermaids (it’s a long story).

What she loves about books: “The taste.”