Community outreaches, fundraising initiative and 're-invention' applauded, Tyndale House Publishers thanked for channel support

Hosting book fairs at local Christian schools and using photo books to help staff identify local pastors and church members when they come in the store were among the innovative ideas that secured CBA's top annual honor for retailing excellence.

The Jim Carlson National Spirit of Excellence Award went to Jim and Lorraine Valk, owners of Parable Christian Store of St. Joseph in St. Joseph, Mich. It was presented by CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey who said the prize and the other category awards were to "recognize retailers who walk the extra mile in pursuit of excellence through Christian retailing."

The Valks were chosen for the top award from five stores recognized—including their own, which was singled out for marketing. Announcing the awards, Riskey told how the Valks took products to sell at the local county youth fair and sought input from Facebook friends for marketing ideas as part of their efforts.

Dwayne and Lisa Phillips, owners of Dalton's Christian Bookstore in Franklin, N.C., were recognized for excellence in innovation. Among ways they have sought to connect with their community have been placing customer photos in the store's front windows and partnering with local businesses in cross-promotions, said Riskey.

Paul and Sue Kuntz, managers of Arrowhead Parable Christian Store in Johnson City, N.Y., took the award for community outreach and ministry. "If there's an event in their town, they are there," said Riskey, citing efforts from hospitality tents at festivals to fund raising for pro-life ministries.

Patricia Taylor, owner of Cornerstone Christian Supply in Cheyenne, Wyo., was honored for merchandising. Taylor created a military section to serve customers from a nearby Air Force base and "keeps re-inventing the store by listening to customers and studying traffic flow to rearrange categories, displays and presentations," Riskey said.

Steve and Marie Prickett, owners of Logos of Northern Kentucky in Alexandria, Ky., were acknowledged in the area of customer experience. The pair connected with local churches and sought to "engage customers and create very spiritual and emotional experiences in and around the store," Riskey said.

The retailer awards were followed by the presentation of CBA's Channel Champion Award to Tyndale House Publishers. The trophy saluted a supplier that had "gone beyond the call of duty to champion Christian stores as community hubs for resources, service and ministry," said Riskey.

Tyndale had a history of strategies and campaigns specifically for Christian stores, he aided, and was "focused on ministry and connecting stores to communities ans churches."

In its own meetings at ICRS, the Parable Group named its top franchise stores of the year.

The large store honor for excellence in adapting, sustaining, adopting and performing went to Gary and Marcia Hoffman, owners of Rainbow Parable Christian Store in Colonial Heights, Va. Parable franchise coach John Strifler said that the pair had "effectively addressed issues of downsizing space, the shift in staffing cycle, refinement of financial and inventory management practices."

Honored as best small store in the same category was Lemstone Parable Christian Store in Columbia, Mo. Owners Bob and Miriam Perry had "done it all with class, with Christ-honoring interactions and with a passion to see lives changed," said Strifler.

For excellence in sales growth, the award went to Jason Mitzel, owner of Rainbow Shop Parable Christian Store in Fargo, N.D., who took over the store from his parents and saw a 7% increase in revenues in 2009.

Former CBA chairman Jim Whitaker (2007-2009), owner of New Life Christian Stores in Lynchburg, Va., was presented with the Chairman's Award for his service to the trade association, including nine years as a board member.

Munce Marketing did not present awards, but there was a special cake for members Joseph and Evelyn Curtiss, owners of Word of Life Christian Bookstore in Los Angeles, Calif,. to mark their 50 years in the industry.

CBA also made its annual awards for best ICRS booths. Gifts & Specialty (Large: 300 square feet or more): Kerusso. Gifts & Specialty (Small: less than 300 square feet): Not of This World. Entertainment (large): EMI CMG. Entertainment (small): Provident-Integrity. Books & Resources (large): David C. Cook. Books & Resources (small): Gracefully Yours. Staff (large): STL Distribution North America. Staff (small): Endure. Retail Support: Innovative, Inc. First-Timer: Mend Mark.

Industry-wide digital platform planned to help brick-and-mortar retailers

Publishing and retail leaders are working on an industry-wide platform for delivering e-books to Christian stores, to help them compete in the growing digital market.

The effort began at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in St. Louis, where the impact of digital publishing on retailers was a major focus of the June 27-30 event.

The initiative, which could provide a way for Christian retailers to make e-books available to their shoppers online or in-store, will likely center on collaborating with some existing service, rather than creating a new system.

ICRS attendees heard that while digital publishing is changing the way that people read and buy books, brick-and-mortar retailers can win a slice of the e-book pie if they work to build strong relationships with their customers.

Addressing the issue was "our number one priority," said CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey. "We can't afford to just talk about these things. We need to move to strategy and action."

One option under consideration is the IndieCommerce white-label e-commerce platform serving general market independent bookstores, from Ingram—parent company of Spring Arbor, whose director of sales, Chris Smith, mentioned the possibility during ICRS' opening general-session panel: "Digital/Mortar: Store Value in a Digital Age."

"We've had preliminary discussions regarding e-book fulfillment solutions with the CBA," he told Christian Retailing.

"IndieCommerce currently serves hundreds of independent ABA-member booksellers, and it could serve as a roadmap for a possible CBA solution."

Evangelical Christian Publishers Association President and CEO Mark Kuyper, who took part in the digital session and other discussions at ICRS, said he was pleased with the interest in embracing e-books at retail.

"It's a step in a direction that is unfamiliar to them, so there is some fear involved in that and probably a sense of risk," he said, but "they are more than willing and ready to try to embrace it and do what they can."

The e-book thrust at ICRS came the same week of news of the end of another digital initiative that was launched at the show two years ago.

Zondervan announced the sale of its Symtio digital-distribution service to general market digital-marketing and distribution company LibreDigital. However, the buyer did not take on the in-store side of the business, which allowed Christian stores to sell cards enabling at-home downloads. Zondervan suspended that service in June.

Retailers at ICRS were urged to learn lessons from how the music industry handled the digital shift, by David Crace, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of EMI Christian Music Group.

Speaking in the digital panel discussion, he said that music companies had been slow to respond to the digital revolution, first being in denial about the changes and then trying to defend their old ways of doing things from innovation.

Thinking that they could stop people buying digital music, "we wasted a lot of time," Crace said, rather than working out how to embrace the changes in the best way. "Get on with the reality of thinking, ‘Let's think forward a couple of years of what it would look like for all of us to be successful across all these channels," he urged.

Fears that physical music sales would die out had been exaggerated, with CDs still accounting for 65% of all music purchases, he said. Six out of 10 consumers still only buy CDs.

In addition, Crace added, there were positive differences for digital books compared to digital music, which meant that its impact may be less. The big shift in music had come when digital content made it possible for shoppers to buy individual songs rather than having to purchase an entire album.

"I don't believe we will be in a place where people will be buying one chapter of a Max Lucado book, so there's a real benefit," he said.

There was also some encouragement from David Campbell, senior account manager for publishing information specialist R.R. Bowker. In a session presenting data from a survey of consumers' book-buying habits, he said that while purchases of e-books had quadrupled between 2008 and 2009, they still accounted for just 1.4% of all titles bought.

Marcie Chamness, owner of Trinity Christian Gifts & Books in Richmond, Ind., said that she felt that CBA was doing "a good job" in trying to help Christian retailers and publishers deal with the challenges of the digital book revolution.

"I am not sure what more they can really do," she said. "They are bringing the info to us. … We were involved in the Symtio project, but removed them after they told us to. ... It's a great deal for us."

Christian products market ‘not saturated,’ organizers say

NIGERIA

Marketsquare Africa 2010, a three-country convention organized by Christian Trade Association International (CTAI), was well-received, according to organizers.

Marketsquare Africa drew 118 Nigerian Christian publishers, distributors and retailers, who met with suppliers from China, Denmark, South Africa and the United States.

“It was standing-room only,” said Modupe Ehirim, president of CBA Nigeria and the committee that organized Marketsquare Africa in Lagos, Nigeria, held April 12-13. “We thought we were being optimistic, but the attendance far surpassed our expectations. We have had an economic downturn, but even so, our market has not been saturated. We have not made a dent yet. There is a great need for more Christian books and materials for our shops.”

CTAI Director Kim Pettit added: “The opportunities in Nigeria are incredible. It is a high-risk environment, but suppliers around the world need to be aware of the possibilities that exist in this market.”

Mary Moore, international sales director for Destiny Image, said the Pennsylvania-based publisher had “broken new ground” in Nigeria. “In two years we will see that today made a difference,” she said. “The workshops have been invaluable. As a result, booksellers and publishers will be more open to unified efforts to build the body of Christ.”

Destiny Image was one of 14 exhibitors representing 20 U.S. Christian suppliers at Marketsquare Africa, which included AMG Publishers, B&H Publishing Group, Thomas Nelson and Whitaker House.

“We have had excellent feedback,” said CTAI President Jim Powell. “There is a lot of support for holding Marketsquare Africa again. I am very encouraged by this.”

Marketsquare Africa was also held April 9-10 in Ghana and April 16-17 in Kenya. The convention in Ghana was organized by CTAI together with Challenge Enterprises and the Ghana Book Publishers Association.

“We hope for lasting impact,” said Ben Boateng of Challenge Enterprises in Accra, Ghana. “Marketsquare Africa (in) Ghana was ... a success. Feedback was very positive and encouraging. People have a better perspective on what the Christian trade is all about. It changed their way of understanding how Christian entities operate.”

Marketsquare Africa in Ghana featured training for both booksellers and publishers by trainers, including James Elwell of Tyndale House Publishers and CTAI’s Jack Scott and Kim Pettit.

Growing attendance a ‘real achievement’ in face of recession

ENGLAND

Despite the recession, British traders were buoyant about the new International Christian Resources Exhibition (ICRE), affectionately dubbed “the ideal church show” in tribute to the country’s long-established Ideals Homes Show.

More than 400 exhibitors took part in the event at Sandown Park, Esher, May 11-14. Their displays—from Elvis Presley’s Bible to a drink dispenser that literally produces water from thin air—attracted almost 13,000. That was an increase on the 2009 show, which drew 12,433 across the four days.

Opening the event was Elder Fu Xianwei, chairman of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China. Amid his country’s booming economy, “there are still many poor people who need Bibles,” Xianwei said. Bible Society gave a special presentation to promote its ongoing work in the country.

ICRE included a Retailers’ Day for trade customers and saw more than 3,300 people attend seminars--another increase from the 2009 event. Topical issues explored by a range of experts included supporting people who have been sexually abused and helping those with dementia.

With the 2012 London Olympics in mind, the organizers had set up CRE’s first ever “sports zone.” Visitors could view a range of sports ministries like More Than Gold, Christian Surfers and 2K Plus International Sports Media.

The addition of “International” to the event’s name marked it out from previous years’ regional CREs at Telford and Peterborough, and also reflected a multinational flavor, with participants from as far away as Slovenia, Poland and the U.S.

Elvis’ Bible was part of a display by London-based Museum of the Book, which uses personal Bibles of historical figures—like ’60s gangster Reggie Kray and hangman Albert Pierrepoint—to convey the gospel.

“We always look forward to CRE,” said Steve Legg, publisher of the British men’s magazine Sorted. “This year was the busiest ever—and it was great to meet up with new customers and lots of old friends.”

The magazine revealed details of a survey with Christian Vision for Men (CVM). It found that although most men had visited a church in the past two years—mainly for weddings and funerals—many would feel more comfortable visiting a ladies’ lingerie shop. Sorted and CVM are helping the wider church with efforts to reach out to men.

The event was “the best we’ve ever attended,” said Mary Fleeson, artist with Lindisfarne Scriptorium, the popular art shop and gallery based on Holy Island, Northumbria. “We gained many new customers, secured several trade orders—and enjoyed meeting up with repeat visitors.

‘The atmosphere buzzed for much of the time,” she added. “There were few lulls in the main hall. Two fellow exhibitors who attend primarily to advertise also said their leads were of a better quality than those at recent trade fairs.”

Fleeson and her husband, Mark, were at ICRE to launch a series of fair-trade church banners, produced in conjunction with two other organizations working in the Philippines.

Echoing his “happy exhibitors,” event director Steve Briars said: “In the face of a major recession, many secular exhibitions have dramatically reduced in size or ceased to exist. For CRE to have grown over the past three years is a real achievement.”

ICRE Award winners included Christian Book of the Year: The Vicar of Baghdad by Andrew White (Monarch Books) and Reference Book of the Year: The World of the Bible by John Drane (Lion Hudson).