Libreria El Sembrador
Project: Spanish & English Bookstore
Location: 850 East Fourth Street, Bethlehem
Financing: $25,000 small business loan
Libreria El Sembrador is a bookstore located on Bethlehem’s Southside at 850 East Fourth Street. For many years, owner Fausto Carrasco, who is the Pastor of Nuevo Amanecer Church in south Bethlehem, has wanted to open a book store featuring secular and religious literature written in or translated in Spanish. He started selling books out of the church to members of his congregation, and soon realized that the demand from the Hispanic population in the Lehigh Valley would require a store front. He enrolled in the Start Your Business classes offered by the Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem, graduating from the program in the Spring 2007. In May 2008, Libreria El Sembrador opened for business.
The $25,000 loan from The Rising Tide Community Loan Fund was used to purchase the inventory for the bookstore.
