About The Oldest Retailer In America
The Moravian Book Shop is also the oldest bookstore in America
Who holds the title as the oldest retailer in America? When looking at the definition of retail store/retailer, the answer becomes more clear. The Moravian Book Shop, founded in 1745, is the oldest retailer in America.
A retailer is an entity (I.E. bookstore) that owns or manages a store, buys products from a manufacturer or wholesaler and sells them to end users and/or customers. The act of retail is the sale of goods (books, clothing, cosmetics, electronics, toys, etc.) and services to consumers. A bookstore or book shop is a type of retail operation or a retail store specializing in books.
The definition of a retailer leaves no doubt that a book shop, such as the Moravian Book Shop, is considered a retailer or retail store. This makes Moravian Book Shop the oldest retailer, or retail store, in America of any kind.
The Moravian Book Shop is also the oldest bookstore in America. It is described as the oldest continuously operating bookseller in America by the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. It is recognized as the oldest continuously operating bookstore in the world by Moravian University.
The shop is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1745 when the Moravian Church appointed Samuel Powell of the Church’s Crown Inn on the south side of the Lehigh River to operate a book store. After operating at several locations, the Moravian Book Shop was moved to the church’s publications building near the Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem in 1871.
Today, Moravian Book Shop operates in the same site on historic Main Street. For nearly three centuries, book lovers have looked to the bookstore for its selection of books and iconic Moravian- and Bethlehem-themed gifts.
The shop continues to offer its iconic book section that features indie best sellers, trade books, and select books highlighting the history of Moravians, Bethlehem, Bethlehem Steel, the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania. The shop sells and buys back student textbooks.
It stocks Moravian College apparel and gift items, reference books, stationery and art supplies, greeting cards, candy, and health and beauty aids. The inventory also includes traditional Moravian- and Bethlehem-themed gifts and College faculty- and alumni-authored books.
In 2015, the store opened its first satellite location in Center City Allentown as part of the Two City Center complex. However, that satellite location closed in May 2017 to refocus on the Bethlehem location, and remaining stock was moved there. In April 2018, nearby Moravian College announced the acquisition of Moravian Book Shop and it became the central student bookstore for the college.
*Note: Some sources claim Brooks Brothers is the oldest retailer in America. But that is not entirely factual. It is true that Brooks Brothers, founded in 1818, is both the oldest retail chain and oldest retail clothing company in America. But the Moravian Book Shop has the distinction of being the oldest retailer of any kind in America.