Eight of the stores in the Wesley Owen chain—the largest in the country—have been bought by Australian retail group, Koorong, with another six taken on by CLC International (UK). Some of the remaining 26 stores may continue under ownership by local groups.

STL Distribution, the main supply hub for Christian retail in the U.K., has been purchased by John Ritchie Ltd., a subsidiary of The Lord's Work Trust based in Kilmarnock, Scotland. The operation will continue under the STL Distribution name.

Thomas Nelson has revealed details of the first of its series of Bibles created exclusively for the Christian retail channel. They will ship next month, for February shelf placement.

"I don't look at them as competition," Phil Dinovo said of other Christian stores in the area near his Holy Family Books & Gifts in Sandusky, Ohio. "We are on a first-name basis," he said, telling Catholic Trade Journal that he was careful not to carry similar products and referred shoppers to the other stores when they could better help customers.

A former teacher, Dinovo opened his store in 2001 in 2,200 square feet of space and has since increased that to 7,700 square feet. He carries more than 2,000 Catholic book titles and also offers wholesale distribution for a Stations of the Cross bracelet.

Speaking to the Journal, Dinovo said that part of his success had been because he networked with local non-Catholic stores rather than viewing them as competition. The groups' markets were so different that it was easy to develop a working relationship, he said.

Company CEO Michael Hyatt and director of marketing for non-fiction, Jeff Loper, are two of the publishing executives whose advice on how book companies can make the most of the likes of Twitter and Facebook is featured in the publication.

A former trumpet maker is realizing a lifelong dream with the distribution of his first faith-based feature film.

Doug Hufnagle's The Path of the Wind, which tells of the challenges faced by an ex-convict returning to his hometown in search of a quiet life, reaches Christian stores next month through Vision Video.

Staff at the 3,000-square foot Dragon Hall Bookstore created a giant "Christmas Wraptor" dinosaur, made of holiday packages, in one of the main display windows. The presentation is based loosely on the museum's popular Utahraptor sculpture.

"We were looking for something that would tie in with the museum experience," said bookstore manager John Bartlett. "The colors and the lighting are beautiful. We've had some great comments from people."

Opened in 2006, the Dragon Hall is the start and finish point for the tour of the museum, which annually draws around 300,000 visitors. In addition to AiG resources, the store carries materials from publishers including Master Books and New Leaf Press and gifts from suppliers including Dicksons.