BETHLEHEM, Pa. – A new chapter will soon begin for the historic Moravian Book Shop in downtown Bethlehem.
On Friday, Moravian University announced that it will conclude its management contract with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers for the Moravian Book Shop at 428 Main St. in downtown Bethlehem.
Once the transition is complete, which is expected to be on or before July 30, Moravian will work with ANC Consulting to assist in the oversight of the operations and strategic direction of the world’s oldest continuously operating bookstore.
Since 2018, Barnes & Noble College has managed the landmark Main Street location, integrating the university’s student bookstore needs with the shop’s traditional retail offerings.
As the university looks toward the nearly 300-year-old institution’s next chapter, the move to ANC Consulting “represents a shift toward a model more aligned with the institution’s goals,” a news release states.
“Barnes & Noble College took a Book Shop that was losing money and turned it into one that pays its own way, and we are grateful for that work over the last eight years,” said Bryon Grigsby, president of Moravian University.
“They stood with us when we acquired the store in 2018 and helped us keep it as a staple of Historic Downtown Bethlehem. That was the right partnership for that moment. The next chapter asks something different of us. The Moravian Book Shop is America’s oldest bookshop, and it now sits inside a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our customers are students, alumni, tourists, World Heritage travelers, and the neighbors who have been walking through the door for generations. We want a model that serves all of them, with more local artists and craftspeople on the shelves and more direct control over the inventory that tells the story of Bethlehem and the Moravian Church Settlements. That is the work we will do with ANC Consulting”
ANC Consulting, founded by Dr. Angelina Carvalhal, is a firm specializing in redefining higher education retail and auxiliary services that will work in collaboration with Moravian University leadership.
The transition is designed to be seamless for students, faculty and the Bethlehem community, with no interruption to textbook services or retail operations.
Ryan Kneller
“The Moravian Book Shop represents a living piece of history,” commented Dr. Angelina Carvalhal, founder of ANC Consulting.
“Our mission is to honor that legacy while equipping the university with the strategies, systems, and support it needs to run a modern, competitive, and distinctly Moravian store to effectively serve students, faculty, and the community.”
Under the new management structure, the university aims to increase local collaboration and further highlight the book shop’s unique connection and proximity to Bethlehem’s, Moravian Church Settlements, now designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Additional details regarding the transition for employees, upcoming summer programming and plans for the 2026-2027 academic year at the Moravian Book Shop will be released in the coming weeks.