09/20/2026
Fun facts!
The words “bookstore” and “bookshop” did not come into use until the early 1760s. But that doesn’t mean bookstores didn’t exist.
Long before Benjamin Franklin became a Founding Father, he established “Franklin’s New Printing-Office” in Philadelphia in 1728. His shop also sold a variety of books (many imported from London), along with paper, ink, quills, and other supplies for readers and writers. Franklin’s wife, Deborah, helped run the business, managing much of its day-to-day operation and bookkeeping.
So, if you lived in Colonial America and were hankering to read the latest fiction, you could walk into Franklin’s Philadelphia shop and buy yourself a book.