Collected

Our October Bookshop of the Month is Collected, an independent bookshop specialising in writing by women, found in the cathedral and university city of Durham. We chat to Emma about her vision behind opening the shop, the vast range of customers that come through the door and what the future brings.

Shop front photo by Will Osborne Photography

1. Your bookshop is themed as a shop that brings great reading written by women – tell us your vision behind establishing Collected.

When I decided that I wanted to set up an independent bookshop, the decision to specialise in writing by women came pretty immediately and naturally. This decision was partly informed by my own reading, which hasn’t included much writing by men over the last decade or more, and therefore by the books that I felt comfortable selecting for stock and recommending to customers. But this decision was also informed by what most excites and inspires me about books – the sheer diversity of stories and experiences, histories and creative expressions they contain and can open up to readers. Yet much of what is in the mainstream is homogeneous: research still shows a marked gender bias in publishing and literature (especially in literary prizes, reviewing, and texts that are studied in schools), and in reading habits, with men tending to read only books written by men where women will read those by men and women equally. So, my starting point was that I loved books and reading – and talking about and sharing books and reading – and I was pretty confident loads of other people did, too. But what if most of us were just paddling in the shallows when there were greater depths into which we might be diving? I wanted to jump in, and I wanted others to leap with me!

2. What’s it like running an independent bookshop and café in Durham? What do you hope your shop brings to the local area?

Probably most people think that the place where they live is unique, but I honestly think Durham is one of a kind – and also kind of weird! Although Durham is a city with a big, excellent university and the most beautiful, historic cathedral, it is also really no greater in size than a small town. But this is the joy of it. On any given day, we’ll welcome customers who range from university freshers, postgraduates, lecturers, tourists and people killing a few hours while they wait for their new passport, to local residents who might be finding us for the first time or who we see most days for their favourite coffee and a bit of book browsing and conversation. What I hope we bring to all these people equally is a warm welcome, a comfortable and comforting space, and a selection of books that balances the familiar with the new, giving them the opportunity both to find what they were looking for and discover what they didn’t know they wanted.

3. You stock a wide range of titles across all genres – how do you choose the books that go on your shelves?

With our specialism, you would think choosing stock was an easy job, but the honest answer is, quite often, with difficulty! Earlier in 2025 we doubled our shop floor by expanding downstairs and yet the shelves and tables are still groaning… We’re fortunate to have some really fantastic reps who know the shop well, and I’ve an amazing team of opinionated bookworm booksellers to help me out. But the guiding principle is to stock enough bestsellers, classics, and well-known names for customers to feel at ease, but then to pack in books from smaller, independent, and academic presses, books in translation, books by writers of colour, debuts, niche subjects, and those books that you hope might find their one, perfect reader, so that there is also loads to explore, to discover, and to surprise.

4. Do you have a favourite book that you’re recommending to everyone at the moment – if so, what it is?

We always have a book of the month – both fiction and non-fiction – and share the choosing of these around the team. But our September 2025 fiction pick has been mine, and is Helm by Sarah Hall. I love Sarah Hall’s writing, her unabashed northern-ness, and her astonishing creativity – and here she has reached new heights.

5. And last, but not least, do you have any exciting plans for the shop in the coming months that you would like to share with us?

With our expansion into a second floor earlier in the year, we’ve already had quite a bit of excitement recently. But the other thing we are really excited about is further developing our events programme to include more social events and partnerships with other independent businesses in Durham. Just the other week we had a wine tasting book club, hosted at a lovely independent wine bar round the corner from our bookshop, discussing Lush by Rochelle Dowden-Lord; in November we’re working with an Italian restaurant and bar on a dinner book club inspired by Danielle Valentine’s The Dead Husband Cookbook. So, customers should keep their eyes out for more of that kind of bookish fun in the months to come…