The "The Demise Of The Local Bookstore: Part II - The First Book Store" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a few stories about the start of bookstores in not only the United States, but the world.  If you Google something you can be sure you will find page after page of reading material about just about any topic you can imagine.  Well, I learned that the first bookstore in the world was opened in 1732 in Lisbon, Spain.  It was known as Livraria Bertrand and is located in the District of Chiado.  

The Livraria Bertrand Book Store

It holds the Guinness World Record as the oldest contin- uously-operating bookstore in the world.  It was started by a gentleman by the name of Pedro Faure who opened the store along Rua Direita do Loreto in hopes of creating an intellectual center in the city.  In 1755, his son-in-law, Pierre Bertrand, who ran the bookstore, was faced with a dilemma.  An earthquake struck Lisbon and destroyed much of the city.  Son-in-law Pierre was forced to operate the bookstore from the chapel of Nossa Senhora das Necessidades.  

Interior of the store.

Then in 1773, Bertrand  reopened the bookstore in a shop in the old Pombaline downtown quarter, in the district of Chiado.  Many prominent Portuguese authors congregated with friends and acquaintances at the bookstore which became the center of the city's important historical events.  Livraria Bertrand may have been the first bookstore in the world, but the first bookstore in the United States opened only thirteen years later (1745) in a shop known as the Moravian Book Shop in a 15,000 square foot location on Main Street in downtown Bethlehem, Pennsylvania which is about a two hour drive from my home in Lancaster, PA.  

The Moravian Book Shop in Bethlehem, PA

The keeper of the shop was Samuel Powell who was the keeper of the Bethlehem Inn and took the advice of his Moravian bishop and began importing and distributing books.  In 1755, the new business was going by the name Bethelhemer Bücher Shop and had more than 5,000 books, mostly religious in nature.  The shop moved to Arch Street in Philadelphia for two years before returning to the same shop in Bethlehem in 1858.  The store took its current name of Moravian Book Shop in 1905.  Over the years it has expanded many times, taking over neighboring buildings, thus giving the store a few front doors.  Not long ago the Moravian Book Shop opened a second location in nearby Allentown, PA.  

The storefront is actually several buildings together
with multiple door fronts.

So, just how does this happen when many bookstores have been closing in the past few years.  One of Lancaster's biggest booksellers, Walden Books closed a few years ago at Park City Center due to poor sales.  About 2007 the economy did affect the bookstore in Bethlehem, but being that Bethlehem is known as the Christmas City, they sold quite a few Moravian stars which helped bring in income to the book store.  

The Moravian Star is a big seller at the bookstore.

Then along came the Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Amazon and took a toll on the bottom line.  The Moravian store sells from presses such as Graywold and Soho which help bring in customers.  That, and the candy counter, gift area and regional gifts help keep the bookstore afloat.  If you ever travel to Bethlehem, make an effort to stop in the Moravian Book Shop and buy a book or two.  If you can't find one you like, at least buy a pound of one of your favorite candies.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.