Over its more than 180 years in business, the Otto Bookstore has moved around Williamsport, but it’s never expanded.
That’s about to change as the historic bookstore’s owners announced they are preparing to double the store’s space by expanding into a former bridal shop right next door.
“We have been looking to…either expand or move,” said owner Katy Nassberg. “When this came, it was the perfect opportunity, because we were really looking to expand our space.”
The bookstore will expand its West Fourth Street location into the former Amber Rose Bridal Shop.
General Manager John Shableski said the owners of the bridal shop property offered them a deal they “couldn’t refuse” for half of the former shop.
“Now, we get 60 days to get the build-out done,” he said.
The expansion is on the side of the Otto Bookstore’s current building. Shableski said they plan to cut a doorway into the wall so that the shop can be one contiguous space.
Once the build is done, Shableski said the new wing will house fiction and non-fiction bestsellers for young adults to older adults. The middle of the store will be dedicated to early childhood books through middle grades.
“And we’ve got a couple of dragons we’re putting in there,” he said.
The rest of the store will hold other categories like books for memory support and a nature section.
Nassberg said the ability to expand the store demonstrates how much the community has continued to support its presence in downtown Williamsport.
“It’s a testament to the increase in events that we’ve had… also the support from the community,” she said. “The community has really engaged with us, and there is now an expectation that there is always something going on at the Otto Bookstore.”
A Storied History in Williamsport
Otto Bookstore began in 1841 as A.D. Lundy and Co., a general store that sold window shades, wallpaper, insurance and books.
“At the beginning of this, books were a sideline in the store,” Shableski said.
He said as the American publishing industry picked up steam thanks to authors like Mark Twain, John Otto decided to lean in and “become a full-fledged bookseller.”
The shop became known as the Loan Book Shop, then passed through several owners as Otto Bookstore. Nassberg and her husband, Isak Sidenbladh, took over the store in 2017.
Nassberg says she grew up making trips to Otto Bookstore. She said above all else, she wanted to make sure the store stayed in downtown Williamsport.
“I take very seriously the fact that the Otto Bookstore has been in the heart of downtown Williamsport for well over a century,” she said.
Expansion a sign of stability, growth in independent bookstore sales
Shableski has worked in books and publishing for more than 25 years. He says he has seen how the indie book industry has shrunk, grown and faced challenges like Amazon, e-books and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s also climbing back out of the near-death thing that people had assigned to the indie book market,” he said.
He believes customers are looking for a “tactile” experience, and that’s driving them back to local, independent bookstores.
“I think it's fatigue of algorithms selecting what you discover, and that changes when you walk into a bookstore,” he said. “You get the opportunity to see things that haven't been force-fed to you because of the latest clicks.”
Shableski said 2025 was the store’s best year for sales since 2015. Once the expansion is complete, he expects to surpass the store’s “pre-Amazon numbers.”
“To be a part of that is really pretty awesome,” he said. “It's a wonderful responsibility to be this involved with a legacy bookstore.”
