Imagined Things is approaching its first birthday! On the 14th of July 2018 it will be one year since we opened our doors as the first independent bookshop in Harrogate in nearly twenty years! It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago that we were up to our elbows in paint, banishing the red and green ceiling from the shop and dreaming of the books arriving. We’ve come a long way since then, and even have a shiny new website! (Which will be finished soon!)
We have achieved a lot since opening:
- We were recently shortlisted for the Macmillan Innovation Award, and are one of three bookshops shortlisted in our category to win £1750 to start our innovative reading scheme – results will be announced in September, so fingers crossed everyone!
- Hosted a sell out event for Tara Westover
- Hosted successful events for Caroline Elton and Tammy Cohen
- Started our very first book club!
- Brought the Gruffalo to Harrogate!
- We were nominated in the Yorkshire Choice Awards for New Starter Business of the Year
- Gained our bookshop companions – the bookshop fish!
- Hatched our bookshop dragon!
- Have brought lots of great books to the wonderful people of Harrogate!
- Have got to know lots of wonderful customers!!!
- And more…!
It might not be a very long blog post, but we’ll be posting more frequently soon! Here’s to many more years of Imagined Things! THANK YOU to everyone who has made this last year possible – we’re so very grateful to every one of you!








I have just learned about your shop, seems like a wonderful place.
Hello! I just read an article about your shop online and, while I live hundreds of miles away in Essex so can’t really ‘pop’ in, I will be keeping an eye out and ordering online when I next need some new books, cards etc. I’m in a book club and we’re due a change so I hope to be in touch soon.
Your shop looks beautiful, keep up the good work!
A belated Happy Birthday. Keep doing what you are doing. Stories and communities are what make the world go round.
Happy reading x