Harvard Book Store Celebrates 75 Years in a League of Its Own

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, a community that values books and tradition highly, Harvard Book Store has been an essential part of life for 75 years. The store, which at first sold mainly used and bargain books, was founded in 1932 by Mark Kramer, with $300 borrowed from his parents. Upon Mark Kramer's untimely death in 1962, his 20-year-old son, Frank, took over the business.

Harvard Book Store has moved, replicated, and mutated many times over the past 75 years, but most notably, it has grown and adapted to changing conditions. Currently it occupies three contiguous storefronts on Harvard Square, with 5,500-square-feet of selling space, on two floors. New books and new-arrival bargain books are sold on the main floor, and more bargain books and used books are on the lower floor.

In May of this year, Frank Kramer announced the promotion of Carole Horne, a Harvard Book Store staff member since 1974, to the newly created position of store general manager. She is now responsible for all buying/merchandising, operations, finance, and marketing.

At the time of Horne's promotion, Kramer said that, while still in excellent health and after 45 years on the job, he thought it was time "to pull back a little." His future plans include working "on outside marketing, furthering our community connections and positioning the company for the future."

Kramer is a founding member of the successful Cambridge Local First campaign to strengthen downtown businesses.

"Frank has always been a very astute business person," explained Horne. "Aside from paying close attention to the business end -- expenses, margins, inventory turns, cash flow -- he's always believed that we have to know our customers and what they want from a bookstore. He's always been an innovator and been early to adopt new technology."

As Harvard Book Store has grown, so has its staff. "We now have three full-time buyers and a part-time data entry person, plus a remainder buyer," said Horne, recalling that when she first became a buyer, "there was just me."

The store's marketing department has grown, too: "from one person who worked on a contract basis to approximately three full-time equivalents -- 2.5 employees, plus part-time event support staff," she said. "About 20 years ago, we started doing author events, and now we do over 200 a year."

As the general manager, Horne supervises a store manager and assistant manager who deal with in-store personnel and operations. Four shift-supervisors work with booksellers to keep the floor running smoothly.

"We also have 2.5 buyers/booksellers in the used book department and a bookseller in bargain books, three people doing receiving, and one-plus people doing returns," said Horne. "We have a controller and an accounts payable staff person, two people in the warehouse -- receiving bargain books and conference orders, and fulfilling web orders ... we have two people working on ordering customer orders."

Staffing levels are high, according to Horne, because "the store is bigger and busier, and it offers more services and a much higher level of customer service." The hours are long -- on weekdays the store is open until 11:00 p.m.; on Friday and Saturday, until midnight; and on Sunday, until 10:00 p.m.

In an address that Frank Kramer prepared for the store's 75th anniversary, he noted that the store was also open long hours when it was run by his parents during the Great Depression. "Even though the store was open late -- until 10:00 p.m. -- there were days when my parents closed out the registers having taken in only $5," he said.

In today's bookstore, it's hard to find many items that sell for less than $5. Harvard Book Store carries an expanding card inventory, journals, and calendars. Canvas bags, t-shirts, and mugs with the store logo are popular, as is the small selection of Harvard University insignia clothing.

The store is also selling a special anniversary edition of its tote bag. The anniversary logo has been used on items around the store, banners are up, and the store held an essay contest in February on the theme "I (Heart) Harvard Book Store."

Horne described the anniversary event planned for October as a major celebration with three weeks of "an especially great line-up of authors: Paul Krugman, Ken Burns, Bill Bryson, Janet Malcolm, academic stars like Helen Vendler, and some local and first-time authors."

The store features a monthly promotion, now called The Select 75 (previously The Select 70), that includes a selection of titles from the month's Book Sense Picks. Horne told BTW that various specialty Book Sense lists have been used as the basis of displays, and Book Sense gift cards continue to be very successful.

The store has won numerous "Best of..." and readers choice awards. In 2002, during its 70th anniversary year, Harvard Book Store was named Bookseller of the Year by Publishers Weekly. In 2006, Forbes Magazine named the store in its "best shops in the world" listing.

Kramer's anniversary address takes note of the passion that motivates everything the store does: "We believe that people from all walks of life and levels of education can find meaning in their lives through access to books and the world of ideas contained within them." And he concludes, "Thank you to everyone in Harvard Book Store's Family -- our staff, our customers, our partners -- everyone who has ever walked into our doors and felt that, yes, this is where I belong." --Nomi Schwartz