Book Store Owner Departs

Just last month, the Harvard Book

Store celebrated its 75th anniversary.

But the Kramer family, who founded the

store and have owned it ever since, won’t

be around for its centennial.

While the rise of online retailers and

rising real-estate prices have forced many

booksellers out of the Square, the Harvard

Book Store has maintained a strong

presence in this ever-changing neighborhood,

thanks in no small part to the

Kramer family.

Frank Kramer, who has operated the

book store for the last 46 years, said what

matters most is that the new owner has

an interest in literature and the local

community.

“I’m looking for a buyer who loves

books and is really committed to all the

things we’ve done,” Kramer said. “The

book business is a wonderful business

and presents many opportunities to be

involved in the literary community.”

Kramer said that ideally, the buyer

would come from the Harvard community—

not from a large chain corporation—

to preserve the store’s individuality.

“It is very unlikely that the book

store could be sold to large corporation,”

he said. “I’d think that our book store

doesn’t fit into the cookie cutter mold

very well.”

Kramer said that he hopes that the

sale will enable him to focus on Cambridge

Local First, an organization he

co-founded that aims to support local

businesses in the area.

“I feel like I’ve been contributing to

the culture in the book business and

moving onto local culture and sustainability

is the next step,” he said.

Founded by Kramer’s father Mark,

Harvard Book Store at first sold used

books on JFK Street and then changed

both location and merchandise.

Now the book store just across from

Harvard Yard sells intellectual books that

could be assigned for courses but are not

textbooks as well as a variety of other

books and merchandise. The store still

sells used books from the basement.

Harvard Book Store, like many independent

booksellers, competes with major

operations and online retailers by inspiring

customer loyalty through a good

location, friendly in-store environment

and hosting author events.

In the last year the Harvard Book

Store has brought big names such as Stephen

King, Madeleine Albright, and Tom

Brokaw to Harvard Square for talks and

book-signings.

Though he is planning on selling,

Kramer said that he hopes he can remain

involved in the life of the store in some

capacity.

“If I could remain a part of it in some

way I would like to very much—that

would be up to a new owner,” he said.

—Staff writer Betsy L. Mead can be

reached at emead@fas.harvard.edu.