Moravian Book Shop
{{Short description|Bookstore in Pennsylvania, United States}}
Moravian Book Shop is a book store based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1745 by the Moravian Church and lays claim to being the oldest continuously operating bookstore in the United States and the second-oldest in the world after Livraria Bertrand in Lisbon, Portugal, which opened in 1732.{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverlehighvalley.com/media/about-lehigh-valley/ |title=Discover Lehigh Valley |publisher=Discover Lehigh Valley |access-date=2018-05-07}}{{cite web|author=Jeff O'Neal |url=http://bookriot.com/2013/06/26/the-oldest-bookstore-in-the-world-the-bertrand-bookstore-in-lisbon/ |title=The Oldest Bookstore in the World: The Bertrand Bookstore in Lisbon |publisher=Bookriot.com |date=2013-06-26 |access-date=2018-05-07}}
As of June 2018, Moravian Book Shop is also home to the Moravian College student bookstore. In 2018, the Moravian Church Northern Province approached Moravian College, seeking to sell the store to entrust the legacy of the Book Shop to an owner within the "Moravian Family" and continue its focus on their 85 congregations. The bookstore is currently owned by Moravian College with day-to-day operations handled by Barnes & Noble College Booksellers.{{cite web |title=FAQs |url=https://www.moravian.edu/bookshop/faqs |website=Moravian Book Shop |access-date=16 August 2018}}
==History==
=18th century=
In 1745, Bishop Augustus Spangenberg of the Moravian Church charged Samuel Powell, an innkeeper on the South Side of Bethlehem, to open and operate a bookstore. In its early years, the store served to cater to the needs of the church, importing and selling devotional and liturgical materials for use by churchgoers, missionaries, and students.Clark, Kathryn Finegan,{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20120309133051/http://www.lehighvalleymarketplace.com/departments/pride-of-place/moravian-book-shop/ "Moravian Book Shop"]}}, Lehigh Valley Marketplace
=19th century=
Over the 19th century, the store was moved to several locations, including, for a time, to Philadelphia, where it existed as both a seller and printer of books.Kawaguchi, Karen, [http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/19990628/26596-moravian-book-shop-evolves-through-history-.html "Moravian Book Shop Evolves Through History"], Publishers Weekly, June 28, 1999
In 1871, the store was moved to a building near the Central Moravian Church on Main Street in Bethlehem. The store occupies the same space to this day, though it has expanded several times in the intervening 140 years and now fills {{convert|14,000|sqft|m2}} in four buildings. The bookstore is now owned by the Ministers' Pension Fund of the Northern Province of the Moravian Church and is overseen by a board of directors which is appointed by the church.
=20th and 21st centuries=
In 2015, the store opened its first satellite location in Center City Allentown as part of the Two City Center complex.{{cite news|last1=Kraus|first1=Scott|title=Moravian Book Shop to open in downtown Allentown|url=https://www.mcall.com/2015/05/08/moravian-book-shop-to-open-in-downtown-allentown|access-date=5 May 2016|work=The Morning Call|publisher=Chicago Tribune}} The location was closed in May 2017 to refocus on the Bethlehem location and remaining stock was moved there.{{cite news|last1=Wagaman|first1=Andrew|title=Moravian Book Shop to close Allentown shop|url=https://www.mcall.com/2017/05/12/moravian-book-shop-to-close-allentown-shop/|access-date=12 December 2017|work=The Morning Call|publisher=Tribune Media|date=May 12, 2017}}
From 2015 to 2018 the bookstore became home to a tasting room for the Colony Meadery, an Allentown-based Meadery and a dog treat manufacturer named Bone Appetit.{{cite web |last1=Kneller |first1=Ryan |title=‘Get buzzed’ at The Colony Meadery’s new tasting room in Bethlehem |url=https://www.mcall.com/2019/07/17/get-buzzed-at-the-colony-meaderys-new-tasting-room-in-bethlehem/ |website=The Morning Call |access-date=10 September 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Satullo |first1=Sara K. |title=What the sale of Moravian Book Shop means |url=https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/bethlehem/2018/05/moravian_book_shop.html |website=The Express-Times |access-date=10 September 2023}} In April 2018, nearby Moravian College announced the acquisition of the shop.{{Cite news|url=http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-moravian-book-shop-transfer-to-college-20180427-story.html|title=Barnes & Noble will manage Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem|last=Warner|first=Frank|date=April 28, 2018|work=The Morning Call|access-date=May 20, 2018}} The College announced they would evaluate all properties to explore collaboration with local vendors, but that the Colony Meadey and Bone Appetit would not "fit into those plans."{{cite web |title=Under new ownership, Moravian Book Shop now has the college spirit — Moravian College’s that is |url=https://www.mcall.com/2018/08/08/under-new-ownership-moravian-book-shop-now-has-the-college-spirit-moravian-colleges-that-is/ |website=The Morning Call |access-date=10 September 2023}} In the end, no suitable vendors were found and the historic bookstore became the student bookstore for the college, being run by Barnes & Noble College Booksellers. Employee Leo Atkinson created a petition to the college to let the then-current staff run the store independently without the Barnes & Noble partnership, but was unsuccessful in this goal.{{Cite news|url=http://www.wfmz.com/news/lehigh-valley/employees-petition-college-to-let-them-run-moravian-book-shop/737827167|title=Employees petition college to let them run Moravian Book Shop|last=69 News|date=May 4, 2018|work=WFMZ 69 News|access-date=May 20, 2018}}{{cite web |last1=Warner |first1=Frank |title=Barnes & Noble will manage Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem |url=https://www.mcall.com/2018/04/28/barnes-noble-will-manage-moravian-book-shop-in-bethlehem/ |website=The Morning Call |access-date=10 September 2023}}
Features
Moravian Book Shop features a book section that includes indie best sellers, trade books, and select books highlighting the history of Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Bethlehem Steel, the Lehigh Valley, and Pennsylvania. In addition, the Moravian Book Shop sells and buys back student textbooks. The Book Shop also stocks Moravian College apparel and gift items, reference books, stationery and art supplies, greeting cards, candy, and health and beauty aids. In addition, the inventory also includes traditional Moravian- and Bethlehem-themed gifts and College faculty- and alumni-authored books. The store also hosts weekly reading and discussion groups and monthly events with authors.[http://moravianbookshop.com Moravian Book Shop website]
Moravian Stars
The store specializes in the sale of hundreds of Moravian Stars, also called Advent Stars, which were first produced in 19th-century Germany.Shea, Suzanne Strempek. Sundays in America: A Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith. Beacon Press, 2008, p. 230. The 26-point stars are produced in many styles and fabricated in various materials.John-Hall, Annette, "Just Now, Bethlehem is no 'Little Town'". The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 13, 1996, p. E01. These have continued to be produced with the change of ownership.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.moravianbookshop.com/ Official website]
- [https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=moravian%20book%20shop/ Photos of Moravian Book Shop]
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Category:1745 establishments in Pennsylvania
Category:Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Category:Bookstores established in the 18th century
Category:Independent bookstores of the United States