A newly opened bookstore in Bellefonte has been a long time coming — but The Print Factory is far more than just a bookstore. A community gathering and event space, cultural hub, supporter of diverse authors, and home for The Print Factory’s broader endeavors as a nonprofit, the storefront at 130 S. Allegheny St. aims to “support the artistic and intellectual life of the local community.”
The first ideas for The Print Factory came together in 2020, during pandemic-related shutdowns. Board member and co-founder Jonathan Eburne recalls: “We started talking about how lovely it would be to have a space where people could gather, looking forward to the moment when we could do so. I’ve always wanted to have a bookstore and there were other people interested in the same thing. We started having meetings … and in 2023, a group of us signed a lease for a storefront in downtown.”
The space’s needed renovations, though, were slow going. After two years of active planning and 18 months of renovations, The Print Factory finally officially opened its doors on Nov. 15.
The hope was, and still is, to provide a “third place” to the Bellefonte community — a social environment outside of work and home, but where visitors aren’t necessarily pressured to spend money and then leave.
“There are not many places where you can go, browse, read, and have a cup of free coffee,” Eburne says. “And there’s a sense of the bookstore being on the rebound. … People enjoy browsing. They enjoy seeing what’s next to the book that they’re looking for on the shelf. They enjoy getting recommendations from actual people. They enjoy the community aspect.”
And with the topic of books becoming one that’s more and more political in the United States, The Print Factory’s work is inherently political as well. Describing itself as “antiracist, feminist, and queer-inclusive,” the organization focuses its offerings on a range of books from diverse authors, highlighting works that are potentially underrepresented in the typical chain bookstore.
“Book banning is becoming this norm in some places and it strikes me as … something that needs to be pushed back against,” Eburne says. “This space that people need is also a place to intervene or at least contradict that terrifying squelching of intellectual access and life that people deserve to have … and that is being taken away.
“We really make an effort to show[case] books that you can’t always see everywhere else,” he continues. “We’re not putting forward the bestsellers. First and foremost, you’ll see books by local authors. You’ll see books from small, independent presses, and then there are books addressing social justice issues and movements.”
The Print Factory’s robust lineup of events follows a similar theme. Author-related events and readings are on tap, and a writing group meets biweekly, but there’s also an open mic every other Thursday, documentary film screenings, a weekly Centre LGBT+ after-school program, and even a drum circle that started up recently.
Already, the project has seen a large amount of support. In 2023, The Print Factory received a Downtown Bellefonte Inc. grant. Three Dots Downtown acted as The Print Factory’s fiscal sponsor before the organization received its official 501(c)(3) status. Additionally, the board members and co-founders have found mentors and guidance from other long-standing bookstores throughout Happy Valley, such as Webster’s and The Squirrel and Acorn.
Eburne says, “We’re getting wonderful feedback from our community, how it’s meaningful to have a space like this. … We’re kind of agog at the response we’ve received. People come in and they’re so excited and happy we’re there.”
Looking to the future, Eburne hopes this trend continues, saying, “People come in to read, meet one another, hear the music, read their poetry, come to write. These are wonderful, wonderful moments and the more that happens, it’s great. People are coming in and buying and donating books and that’s wonderful and keeps us open, but then people actually using the space as a foothold for community, building new friendships, and having meaningful places to think and be — the more that happens, the happier we’ll be.”
For those intrigued by The Print Factory’s mission, there are plenty of ways to get involved beyond stopping in to browse the books or attend an event. The operation is fully volunteer-run, and volunteers can sign up online to work an approximately two-hour shift, with on-the-spot training provided. The Print Factory also accepts book donations on the weekends.
Through the end of February, The Print Factory is hosting the exhibition “UnMonument Bellefonte: Fabricating Networks,” which explores the lives and histories of Bellefonte’s Black communities. The exhibit features an arrangement of overlapped mappings of movement and history, and a research table that invites community engagement through tangible materials and curated readings. A Frederick Douglass Day (Feb. 14) celebration of Black history is also planned.
The Print Factory’s current board includes Mandisa Haarhoff, Oliver Baker, Terra Ingram, Barrett Marshall, Kathy Pletcher, Dara Walker, and Jonathan Eburne.
Learn more at printfactorybellefonte.org. T&G
Holly Riddle is a freelance writer for Town&Gown.
