Headquarters Pennsylvania, United States Similar Moravian College, Moravian Academy, Burnside Plantation, Baum School of Art, Allentown Art Museum Profiles | ||
Moravian book shop tour
Moravian Book Shop is an independent bookstore based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; with a satellite location in Allentown, 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. (The Bertrand Bookstore in Lisbon, Portugal, which has been open since 1732, is the oldest bookstore in the world.) In addition to books, Moravian Book Shop also operates a deli, a gift shop, and gourmet food shop.
Contents
- Moravian book shop tour
- Did you know lehigh valley moravian book shop
- History
- Features
- Moravian Stars
- References
Did you know lehigh valley moravian book shop
History
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. Over the next 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.
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 14,000 square feet (1,300 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.
In 2015, the store opened its first satellite location in Center City Allentown as part of the Two City Center complex.
Features
Across its four store fronts, Moravian Book Shop contains several departments. Among them are the bookstore itself, which contains 10,000-15,000 volumes and includes sizable children's, local interest, and religious sections. In addition, the store houses an independent business called The Retro Deli, a gourmet food and candy counter, a gift shop, and a Moravian-Bethlehem room, specializing in local and traditionally Moravian items. The store also hosts weekly reading and discussion groups and monthly events with authors.
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. The 26-point stars are produced in many styles and fabricated in various materials.