Meet Adam Riley and Robert Cronjé, we are two guys passionate about collecting books and coins, and the proud owners of Midlands Books & Collectables, which launched in May 2023 at the Old Mushroom Farm just outside of Howick in the KZN Midlands.

We met when Robert joined the Pietermaritzburg Numismatic Society in 2017 after relocating from the Cape. Adam had been a long-standing member since 1982.

As avid collectors of books and coins we ended up selling and trading spare items and when our garages started looking like storage units, we knew we were into this deeper than planned and had to find a solution!

The original concept of an online store somehow morphed into our current shop at the Old Mushroom Farm! With over 300 apple boxes filled with books and numerous containers filled with other collectable items, we decided in April to open the shop. Our first few days (often extending late into the evenings) were filled with the sight of boxes decorating the shop as we unpacked and sorted our stock. But the chaos of unpacking soon become a dream for booklovers! With the whole gamut of genres available, with fiction ranging from the classics to fantasy and non-fiction ranging from history, biographies, esoteric, to wildlife, as well as a variety of coins, collectables and more, visitors often spend many happy hours browsing. With our affordable prices, it might be best to bring your own apple box along!

The collection keeps on growing too as we can’t resist buying more treasures, some weeks we purchase over 4000 books! Some of our educational and kids books and older novels are donated to schools in Zululand, retirement villages, and other institutions.

We truly take pride in our shop and it has already become a well-loved and fraternized shop at the Old Mushroom Farm. We have hosted our first book launch at the venue and plan on hosting many other events. We look forward to welcoming you to our physical shop or online store.