The Otto Bookstore in Williamsport, Pa., will expand later this spring into an adjacent storefront.
Located at 107 W. 4th St., the Otto Bookstore will be taking over a storefront that previously housed a bridal shop. The two spaces will be connected via an interior opening built in a shared wall, and the expansion will nearly double the size of the bookstore.
The extra room will allow owners Kathryn Nassberg and Isak Sidenbladh and their team to expand the book inventory and create a designated event space. Sections pertaining to hiking, fishing, camping, and other regional interests will see a large increase, as will the store's offerings for early childhood literacy and families dealing with memory loss. The event space, meanwhile, will be used for author events, book launches, book clubs, birthday celebrations, and more.
"We are excited to have this opportunity to not only expand the bookstore's physical space, but also the kinds of events we can offer as well," said Nassberg. "We want Otto Bookstore to be a place of learning, discovery, and community here in Williamsport, and the updated location will allow us to do that with an even greater impact."
"This represents a pivotal moment for the Otto Bookstore, and Kathryn and I are excited to usher in this change," said Sidenbladh.
Construction will begin soon, and the bookstore will remain open while new floors and furnishings are installed in the new space and inventory is moved. The expansion is expected to be open in the spring.
"It's going to take a lot of work," said general manager John Shableski, "but we have the best people here who are all pitching in to make it work."
The bookstore dates back to 1841. Its first incarnation was a general store called A.D. Lundy and Co., which sold books along with insurance and a variety of other merchandise. By the early 1900s, it was called the Loan Book Shop and owned by a man named John Otto. In 1940, a longtime employee named Jack Roesgen bought the bookstore, and following his death in 1958, ownership passed to his daughter, Betsy Rider. She went on to oversee the store for the next five decades. In 2017, Nassberg and Sidenbladh took over the Otto Bookstore.