BETHLEHEM, Pa.- A new chapter is under way in the storied history of Bethlehem’s historic Moravian Book Shop.
On Wednesday morning, the store at 428 Main Street held an official grand re-opening ceremony, as it continues operations under the direction of nearby Moravian University.
The shop, founded in 1745, is recognized as the oldest bookstore in America and the oldest continuously operating bookstore in the world. It opened its doors just four years after a fledgling Moravian community founded the city of Bethlehem.
In his remarks, Moravian University President Bryon Grigsby said the shop represents a promise to the community that ideas will always have a place to live on Main Street: “In 1745, Bishop (Augustus) Spangenberg asked an innkeeper named Samuel Powell to keep that promise. This morning, 281 years later, we’re renewing it.”
Moravian University President Bryon Grigsby
Powell ran the Crown Inn on the other side of the Lehigh River. The book store’s physical address changed several times over the years until it settled in on Main Street, near the Central Moravian Church, in 1871.
In 2018, the Moravian Church recognized it could no longer run the store; the retail operation was pulling focus from its real mission of supporting 85 congregations, Grigsby said. Moravian University (then still Moravian College) agreed to take over ownership. It established its student bookstore in the space and brought in Barnes & Noble Collegiate to handle the day-to-day operations.
Moravian University announced earlier this year that it would end its management agreement with Barnes & Noble in June and bring in ANC Consulting to come up with a new operational and financial model that would let the school run the store on its own terms.
Interior of the Moravian Book Shop at 428 Main St, Bethlehem, PA 18018
Grigsby expressed gratitude to Barnes & Noble, saying the agency took a shop that was losing money and turned it into one that paid its own way.
Angelina Carvalhal, founder of the New York City-based ANC Consulting, which specializes in helping colleges and universities run their on-campus retail operations, said, while no physical changes have been made to the shop’s footprint, it will incorporate more of Bethlehem’s unique flavor.
“The school will now have the flexibility to really reach out to local artists and vendors to showcase their products,” Carvalhal said. “There’s going to be a lot of community events, working with the community and local artists to bring their product into the store. More flexibility.”
After an official ribbon cutting outside the book shop, which was preceded by a spirited performance by Moravian University’s cheerleaders and marching band, guests were invited inside, where the school’s jazz ensemble provided a soothing soundtrack for browsing.
Ribbon-cutting ceremony outside Moravian Book Shop
Painter Sergei Yaralov, who has a gallery nearby, was one of a few artists working on site. Some of his completed works were for sale inside the store; he’s one example of how the store aims to spotlight local talent.
“This is a great opportunity for the bookstore to find its own identity, to connect with the community in a really authentic way where patrons can actually see themselves within the assortment,” Carvalhal said. “It’s not a corporate assortment. It’s really localized for the Bethlehem culture.”
Painter Sergei Yaralov works inside the Moravian Book Shop
Keeping the Moravian Book Shop going isn’t just about preserving the old, it’s also important to build something new, Grigsby said, noting that Bethlehem’s addition to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2024 is bringing fresh faces to the Christmas City.
“The best way to honor 281 years of history is to keep adding new voices to it, not just preserve the old ones under glass,” Grigsby said. “That’s the assignment for this next chapter: a shop that serves a Moravian freshman buying their first book and a visitor from Saxony buying a Moravian star to take home under the same roof, on the same Main Street where Samuel Powell started all of this in 1745.”