Moravian Book Shop, Bethlehem, Pa., will open a second store, in Allentown, the Morning Call reported. The store will occupy 3,800 square feet at Two City Center, an 11-story office building at Seventh and Hamilton streets that houses National Penn Bancshares' headquarters.
"We're looking at this as a great opportunity to increase recognition of the bookshop," said Richard Santee, chairman of Moravian's board of directors. "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. It just seemed like a whole new audience we had never reached before."
Developer J.B. Reilly, CEO of City Center Investment Corp, noted: "The Moravian Book Shop will be one of the anchor shops downtown. It's a great brand with a great following and will draw visitors downtown.... It's the kind of retail you want in a pedestrian-friendly urban environment."
Founded in 1745, Moravian Book Shop is the oldest bookstore in the country.