New Owners for Harvard Book Store

by Judith Rosen -- Publishers Weekly, 9/30/2008 4:09:00 PM

Four months after Frank Kramer put Harvard Book Store in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass., up for sale, the two-generation independent founded by his father in 1932 was purchased by Jeff Mayersohn and Linda Seamonson of Wellesley, Mass. “We wanted someone who would treasure what we built,” said Kramer, who attended last month’s NEIBA convention with Mayersohn, who will serve as store president. Mayersohn told PW that he intends to retain general manager Carole Horne, who has been with Harvard for more than 35 years, and the rest of the management team. Kramer will stay on as a consultant for several months and will continue to work with Cambridge Local First, which he cofounded in 2005.

As to whether he is up to the task of running an independent, Mayersohn noted that he has managed larger companies and has a strong business background in the high-tech world. Mayersohn worked with Internet pioneer Bolt, Beranek and Newman, and for the past decade has been an executive at Sonus Networks, a market leader in IP communications infrastructure.

Several years ago Mayersohn attended Donna Paz’s bookselling school with the intention of starting his own bookstore. Unable to find a workable location, when he learned that Harvard Book Store, where he has been a customer for the past four decades, was up for sale, he changed his strategy. “My wife and I have wanted to own a bookstore for many years. I never imagined that it could be Harvard Book Store,” he said.

Harvard Book Store is planning to host an event on Tuesday, October 21, to give the community a chance to meet Mayersohn.