Imagined Things bookshop in Harrogate has been announced as a regional finalist in the British Book Awards.

It is one of eight finalists in the independent bookshop category for the north of England.

If Imagined Things wins the regional finals, it will have the chance to go on and contend for the national prize for best independent bookshop.

Georgia Eckert, the shop’s owner, considers the new store location on Montpellier Hill an important reason behind reaching the finals.

After five years in Westminster Arcade, Imagined Things decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign to support the move to the new location, raising over £18,000.

The fortunes of Imagined Things were also improved following a viral tweet posted on the bookshop’s Twitter account in June 2019.

The tweet reported a taking of £12.34 for the day, following which Georgia received a huge wave of support for the shop which boosted its profile in Harrogate.

Commenting on reaching the regional finals, Georgia said:

“Being a finalist really means a lot to myself and the Imagined Things Team. Bookselling is such a rewarding career, but being a shop on the Highstreet is not without its challenges. To get recognition for what we’ve achieved last year in moving the shop and doing what we love is a wonderful boost.”

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Econ Engineering opens museum

Econ Engineering has opened a museum at the company’s headquarters in Ripon.

The museum’s collection consists of historic vehicles and farming implements from the last 60 years.

The exhibit looks into the agricultural past of the company, which is known for manufacturing gritters.

Jonathan Lupton, Econ Engineering’s Managing Director, son of founder Bill Lupton, said:

“Like my father, I have a passion for farming, and finding and restoring implements designed and made by him has become a passion, not only for me, but also for members of the wider Econ team.

“We were both of Young Famers’ Clubs, and it’s somewhat fitting that the first visitors to our new museum, celebrating our history, are members of Boroughbridge Young Farmers.”

Pictured inside Econ Engineering’s museum: Jonathan Lupton with members of Boroughbridge Young Farmers

Artefacts from the museum will be exhibited at various shows this year, including Masham Steam Rally, Hunton Steam Rally and Tractor Fest at Newby Hall.

Jump into romance, find intrigue in mystery or escape with adventure. It is all on offer on the bustling shelves of this “hidden gem” of a book shop in Ripon.

The Little Ripon Bookshop, founded by husband and wife team Gill and Simon Edwards, is part of the independent book shops resurgence.

While the online behemoths find it easy to offer cut-price books, more and more people have been flocking to the likes of Gill and Simon’s shop.

The shelves are stacked with a mix of new books and classics.

It may have been a daunting task in the beginning and during the coronavirus lockdown, but the Little Ripon Bookshop has thrived on community, friendship and loyalty.

The shop has grown in recent years and even expanded into a vacant unit next door. It has been doing so well that it’s not so little anymore.

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On a rainy weekend in a gloomy year, Gill thinks there is nothing better than the prospect of curling up with a novel by the fire. She told the Stray Ferret:

“I think that people do have a sense of belonging here. We have got a book club that’s really successful. We are doing it online at the moment, but it’s still going well.

There are just loads of people that love books and they know that if they don’t use it then it doesn’t work. So many people are keen to keep us here and that’s wonderful.”

Find the shop on Westgate in Ripon.

Coronavirus has, of course, been difficult for the shop. It closed its doors for three months but adapted to the online world and delivery quite quickly.

Gill and Simon’s customers appreciated the deliveries but the book shop was trading at about a quarter of what it normally would.

Things are a little different in The Little Ripon Bookshop.

But as soon as they opened the doors again in June, customers flocked back to support the book shop and have kept coming back since.

With a few months of consistently busy trading, the shop is now in a good position to weather any coronavirus lockdown storms on the horizon.

This is part of the Stray Ferret’s ‘hidden gem’ series, highlighting small, independent businesses. They need to be tucked away but growing in popularity with an eye-catching and unique product or approach. Send us an email with your nominations.