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.
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