Moravian University in Bethlehem, Pa., will end its management contract with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers for the Moravian Book Shop and transition to a new consulting firm by July 30, lehighvalleylive.com reported. B&N College has managed the store since 2018, when the university acquired it.
The university said it will work with ANC Consulting to oversee operations and strategic direction for what is widely considered the oldest continuously running bookstore in America. The change marks a shift in how the nearly 300-year-old institution will operate as it seeks greater control over inventory and stronger ties to the local community.
"Barnes & Noble College took a Book Shop that was losing money and turned it into one that pays its own way, and we are grateful for that work over the last eight years," said Bryon Grigsby, president of Moravian University. "They stood with us when we acquired the store in 2018 and helped us keep it as a staple of Historic Downtown Bethlehem."
The university now wants a different approach that reflects the bookstore's position within Bethlehem's UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, reported lehighvalleylive.com. Grigsby noted that the shop serves students, alumni, tourists, World Heritage travelers, and longtime local customers: "We want a model that serves all of them, with more local artists and craftspeople on the shelves and more direct control over the inventory that tells the story of Bethlehem and the Moravian Church Settlements."