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Moravian Book Shop to open in downtown Allentown

Scott Kraus
Contact ReporterOf The Morning Call
Moravian Book Shop expanding in downtown Allentown

The Moravian Book Shop traces its roots back more than two centuries in Bethlehem.

Now the bookstore that claims the title of oldest in the nation is planting a seed in Allentown, taking the final retail spot at Two City Center, the 11-story office building at Seventh and Hamilton streets that houses National Penn Bancshares' headquarters.

Its second location will join Starbucks, The Hamilton Kitchen and Bar restaurant, jewelry store Sorrelli, Ruby's Floral Factory and Minuteman Press in the first floor of the complex.

"The Moravian Book Shop will be one of the anchor shops downtown," said developer J.B. Reilly, CEO of City Center Investment Corp. "It's a great brand with a great following and will draw visitors downtown."

It fits in especially well around the corner from a Starbucks, he said. "It's the kind of retail you want in a pedestrian-friendly urban environment."

Known for carrying independently published books and works by local authors and artists, as well as gifts such as Christmas ornaments and fair-trade coffee, the store is expected to open in Allentown in late summer or early fall.

The Allentown shop will be a satellite store, and won't have a cafe like the flagship in Bethlehem, said Richard Santee, chairman of the book shop's board of directors. It will focus on offering a unique selection of books for adults and children, and gifts sold by a knowledgeable staff.

The shop will occupy 3,800 square feet fronting Hamilton Street, about a third the size of the Bethlehem store.

"We're looking at this as a great opportunity to increase recognition of the book shop," and the unique offerings and personal approach that set it apart from big box bookstores, he said.

It is the second Main Street Bethlehem business to open a branch on Hamilton Street, joining Johnny's Bagels, which opened across the street last year.

It will be a nice addition to downtown, said Saleem Mawji, as he sat outside Johnny's in Allentown eating lunch.

"It's unique, it has a unique selection, more than just books," said Mawji, an attorney whose firm Norris McLaughlin & Marcus recently moved downtown. "I think especially because it's in walking distance, I might stop in at lunch or after work."

Kellie Wildman, who manages Sorrelli next door, said she thinks the bookstore will bring additional foot traffic and that the two will share customers.

"We're ecstatic about the opportunity to be working so closely alongside such a good retailer," she said.

Santee said he couldn't identify the moment the board decided to pull the trigger on a second location. It has been approached over the years to expand and even pick up stakes and move to a variety of places, none of which felt right. The store's mission statement includes a directive to "work within the Bethlehem community as representatives of the Moravian Church."

The decision to expand into downtown Allentown grew out of informal discussions among members of the board and City Center leaders, some of whom have known each other for years.

A prime consideration for the board of the book shop, which is a for-profit entity that earmarks all of its profits for the Moravian Church ministerial pension fund, was that its new location not eat into its current customer base, he said.

"When we talked about and started to investigate the potential demographics of the people in downtown Allentown, we saw a whole new group of people who are going to work there, attending events at the arena there," Santee said. "It just seemed like a whole new audience we had never reached before."

Office workers out enjoying Friday's warm weather said the bookstore will be a good addition. Most had heard of it, though not everyone has been a customer. Many said Center City needs more stores where you can buy gifts or get errands done during the day.

"I think it needs something like that for gift buying," said Karen Kline, a Lehighton resident who has worked downtown for 19 years.

The improvement in the last few years has been dramatic, she said, but she's hoping for a few more restaurants and public benches.

"It's like a complete turnaround," she said.

The book shop is the first of what is expected to be a series of retail shop and restaurant opening announcements that will take place in the next few months.

On Wednesday, Reilly announced plans to rebuild downtown Allentown's retail scene, adding 30 new shops throughout the district by Labor Day. He said many of those would be businesses like the Moravian Book Shop: established retailers looking to add locations.

The Rev. Bob Stevens, whose Zion's Reformed UCC Church is across Hamilton Street from the Moravian Book Shop's future home, said he can't remember the last downtown book store selling new books.

"It fills in one of the missing pieces in the downtown," he said. "People who want to work downtown or live downtown want a bookstore. I have only one regret. I'm a bibliophile. I'll probably end up spending a lot of money there."

scott.kraus@mcall.com

610-820-6745

Twitter @skraus

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