Under theLeaves

Under the Leaves opened on Forres High Street on 2 January 2024, run by John and Dorte McPhun, a couple who had talked about opening a bookshop together for years before deciding to try it in Forres. Dorte had previously worked in a bookshop in Germany; running a shop was new to John. They started in a smaller unit at 86 High Street and, within a year, moved to larger premises at number 30, doubling their floor space to make room for a wider stock. The shop carries new and secondhand books across fiction and non-fiction, including poetry, crime, science fiction and fantasy, alongside sections on nature, biography, history and the arts, plus children's books, greetings cards, stationery and board games. Customers can also order in titles that aren't on the shelves. The shop's arrival filled a gap on the high street, which had gone without a dedicated bookshop for some time before it opened.