Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Harrisburg, Pa., has acquired the contents of the Philadelphia bookstore W.H. Allen as well as a new storefront in Harrisburg to house the collection. W.H. Allen was founded in 1918 by William and his wife Anna--and carried on by their son George.
With specialties in scholarly and academic books, "it was an inspirational model for us," said Catherine Lawrence, co-owner of Midtown Scholar. "We enjoyed shopping at their Walnut Street location many times over the years. We made sure to visit whenever we were in town!"
To house the nearly 40,000 secondhand books and 200 bookcases that comprise the Allen collection, Midtown Scholar has purchased a mid-20th century store nearby at 1324 North Third Street in Harrisburg.
"We're delighted to be carrying on the long-standing tradition of family-owned retail shops at this location," Lawrence said. "We hope to open a new sales annex there--just one block from the Midtown Scholar--as early as this fall."
Allen's Books is the fourth used bookstore the Midtown Scholar has acquired in the past decade. Other notable collections include the Cambridge booksellers McIntyre & Moore, Larry McMurtry's Booked Up, and Powells Chicago's Uptown Branch. These are now incorporated into the store's stock.
Midtown's manager Alex Brubaker said, "We're thrilled to continue expanding our literary offerings and programming to the community."