As fictional crime is celebrated in Harrogate next weekend, one local business is getting in on the fun by staging its own murder mystery.
Imagined Things, the independent bookshop on Montpellier Hill, is inviting people to try to solve the murder of one of its bookseller.
After the crime is discovered in the basement, visitors will be asked to find clues around the shop and at other nearby shops to discover who committed the murder – and win a prize.
It’s all part of the fun brought to town by the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which runs from Thursday, July 20 to Sunday, July 23.
While Imagined Things isn’t an official part of proceedings, owner Georgia Eckert said there is always an extra buzz around the shop during the festival:
“It’s a lovely atmosphere – you never know who you might meet. We even had Nicola Sturgeon just wander in randomly!”
As well as the murder mystery, Imagined Things is hosting five book signings during the festival, alongside a panel event at Harrogate Library with authors Michelle Frances, Ellery Lloyd and Ruth Kelly on Thursday evening.
The shop has also secured four books to sell before the official publication date in August.
Georgia said there are usually dozens of unexpected visitors through the doors too, with a total of 42 authors calling in to sign books during the festival in 2022.
Read more:
- Closing date approaches for Ripon Poetry Festival competition
- ‘Do it for David’: Harrogate Festivals boss set for Great North Run
Imagined Things is among the local businesses benefitting from the thousands of visitors arriving in town for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, which this year marks its 20th anniversary.
It begins, as always, with the opening ceremony and announcement of the winner of the crime novel of the year and the outstanding contribution to crime fiction awards.
Over the following three days, workshops, panels and interviews will bring together some of the most established writers in the genre with up-and-coming names in one of the biggest events of its kind.
Its enthusiasts are not the only ones contributing to the success of the independent bookshop, which moved from its first home in the Westminster Arcade last June.
Georgia said:
Lockdown ‘at worst possible time for retail’ says Harrogate bookshop“Every year, we’ve got a lovely lady who visits from France and orders a big box of books from us, which is amazing.
“Some people don’t have an independent local bookshop in their town, so they come to support us.
“There’s not as many of us now – although the numbers have been growing since 2017, when we opened. There was an overall increase in the number by one that year, after a 20-year decline, and it has gone up every year since.”
Lockdown will come at the “worst possible time for retail”, according to the owner of an independent bookshop in Harrogate.
Georgia Eckert, of Imagined Things Bookshop in Westminster Arcade, said she usually took a third of her annual takings in the eight-week run-up to Christmas.
Ms Eckert said she understood the government’s need to act but questioned how little time businesses had to prepare for the change.
“It’s come at the the worst time for retail. I know there is a lot of uncertainty but we didn’t have any time to plan for it.
“The government had said for ages there wouldn’t be another national lockdown.”
Ms Eckert is due to give birth in March and had recently extended her staff team from one to three. She said:
“I’m relieved the furlough scheme will continue. I just hope we can reopen in December but even if we can there is a limit to how many people we can have in the shop due to social distancing.”
Ms Eckert said her business would “do everything it can” to survive, by providing click and collect, home deliveries and developing its website.
Read more:
Being a former NHS employee, Ms Eckert said she understood action had to be taken to prevent hospitals being overwhelmed. She added:
“Let’s hope business will bounce back strongly but we have to get through this first.”