David Ganse Of Adamstown Books Opens Retail Location At The Lancaster Theological Seminary

Special Open House Is Planned For May 1 And 2

April 1, 2015

David Ganse of Adamstown Books opened a retail location at Lancaster Theological Seminary five months ago. Located at 555 James St., the small, quaint, and well-stocked bookstore is situated in the Mayer Commons building on the Lancaster campus. A prime example of what an independent bookstore should look like, the venue is a great addition to Lancaster city and boasts an array of material in many subject areas.
The store will hold a special Multi-Dealer Collector’s Open House on Friday and Saturday, May 1 and 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Storewide discounts on books will be offered and other vendors with be set up with vintage cookbooks, paper advertising, postcards, movie posters, and maps. Light refreshments will be provided.
For the entire month of May, Adamstown Books will offer a 20 percent discount to anyone who mentions or brings in this article.
Ganse operates a full-service store with new, used, rare, and out-of-print books and recently put his store online through www.abebooks.com. “We are looking to add some more online companies,” said Ganse.
A worker in the transportation industry for 20 years up until the economic downturn, Ganse took a chance and changed careers. “I had been wanting to get into the book-selling business,” he said. When Cokesbury, a national publishing chain affliated with the United Methodist Church closed its brick and mortar stores and left the Seminary campus in 2013, an opportunity opened up for Ganse. “The administration was eager to have a bookstore again,” said Ganse, who was at that time a bookseller specializing in Civil War material at several co-ops in Adamstown, Pa. (where he still maintains a presence). Ganse has been in the German Trading Post co-op since the fall of 2012 and Mother Tucker’s co-op since the spring of 2014.
His new store is located in the brick Campus Center building, which is often called Mayer Commons. The site can be accessed either from College Avenue or James Street and was built in 1916-17. It used to be referred to as the Library Annex since the original school library was housed in the main building, which is now called the Lark Academic Building. The new Philip Schaff Library was constructed in 1968 and renovated in 1997.
“We are very conscious to have books at every price point,” commented Ganse. His four main targeted markets involve the Seminary, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster city, and the broader collecting community. All are important to reach noted Ganse.
To learn more about Adamstown Books at Lancaster Theological Seminary, the special open house, or other various upcoming events and specials, call 717-290-8712 or visit www.adamstownbooks.com.

 

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