Moravian Book Shop returning to local management

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A Lehigh Valley institution is returning to local hands. 

Moravian University announced Friday that it is ending its management contract with Barnes & Noble College Booksellers for the Moravian Book Shop on Main Street in Bethlehem by the end of July. 

The Moravian Book Shop is the oldest continuously operating bookstore in the country. 

After the contract ends, Moravian said it will work with ANC Consulting, to assist in the oversight of the operations and strategic direction of the bookstore. 

ANC Consulting, founded by Dr. Angelina Carvalhal, is a firm specializing in redefining higher education retail and auxiliary services that will work in collaboration with Moravian University leadership. 

 Since 2018, Barnes & Noble College has managed the landmark Main Street location, integrating the University’s student bookstore needs with the shop’s traditional retail offerings.  

As the University looks toward the next chapter of the nearly 300-year-old institution, it said the move represents a shift toward a model more aligned with the institution’s goals. 

“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. That was the right partnership for that moment. The next chapter asks something different of us.”  

He noted that not only is the Moravian Book Shop is America’s oldest bookstore, it now sits inside a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is expected to increase tourism to the area.  

Under the new management structure, the University aims to increase local collaboration and further highlight the book shop’s unique connection and proximity to the Moravian Church Settlements—Bethlehem’s UNESCO World Heritage designation. 

“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,” Grigsby said. “That is the work we will do with ANC Consulting” 

“The Moravian Book Shop represents a living piece of history,” said Angelina Carvalhal, founder of ANC Consulting. “Our mission is to honor that legacy while equipping the university with the strategies, systems, and support it needs to run a modern, competitive, and distinctly Moravian store to effectively serve students, faculty, and the community.”