Type: Church bookstore

Region: South

Location: Second floor of a megachurch

Appearance:

Inventory:

Staff: 0

External appearance: I stepped off the escalator and turned to the left as instructed by a Sunday morning worship service greeter. The open expanse and clean, contemporary spaciousness of the store unfolded immediately for shoppers.

Window display: The second-floor location would not allow displays to be viewed from the exterior.

Entrance: A non-staffed information desk was located to the right of the wide entrance. The business cards listed store hours that were different than those received from a phone call with the church office. To the left, display units that featured various gift items were angled so the shelf at the bottom was deepest. This rich wood shelving and matching slatwall were used throughout the store.

Layout and inventory: To the right of the entrance, multiple P.O.S. stations welcomed customers. A large video screen showing a church worship service, bordered by light boxes with various church scenes, was on the back wall of the wide entranceway. Ministry products in a variety of formats, in both Spanish and English, lined the left side of this path. A framed photo of each ministry personality was featured with the individual’s product in each section against the back wall. Bibles also were placed along the back wall.

To the left, a huge fish tank anchored a large area filled with comfortable chairs. Beyond that were Greeting Card, Music, Book and Bargain categories. Notable were the several sections of Spanish product, including an entire unit for a top Spanish-language singer.

Jewelry was in a separate section, with a separate glass display case and rounders. Tweens and teens would love the large music area in the youth section to the far right.Within moments of the store opening, an hour before the first Sunday morning worship service was scheduled to begin, all four game terminals were occupied in the children’s department. Set on built-in counters low enough for the 5-year-olds who were clicking away, the flat-screen game terminals were near the Jay Jay play table and built-in stage. Unfortunately, for younger children who wanted to see the fish, a large aquarium in this area was closer to adult eye level.

Interior appearance: Spotless. Clearly organized. Visually appealing. The even lighting allowed for easy viewing throughout the huge open space.

Staff: One male staff member moved two wastebaskets from the children’s area into the office and closed the door. Other staff members chatted behind the registers.

Verdict: Impressive. Periodically check that product matches signage. For example, BibleZines and children’s devotionals were shelved under Children’s Bible Covers. Lori Wick books were directly under the sign that read Biblical Fiction.

Consider adding signage for subcategories in the children’s department. Although the special-situations books were neatly grouped together, busy parents looking for help with grief, relocation or divorce would appreciate signage, especially since this appears to be a self-serve store.

If this were your regular store? The underground parking is free for weekend churchgoers. If it’s also free for weekday bookstore shoppers, I’d come often.

Would a non-Christian feel comfortable here? Yes. It’s such a classy, upscale place. Someone could simply wander in and enjoy watching the fish. The atmosphere is low-key, no pressure. For worshipers, there’s a seamless flow from the worship space to the store.

What will you remember of your visit a week from now? This upscale, contemporary bookstore is a credit to our industry. If the worship is as great as the bookstore, I’d like to attend church here some weekend.

THE STORE OWNER RESPONDS: “The worship is even better, and we would welcome the author to attend a church service in the future.

Our information desk is not staffed until 9 a.m. on Sunday mornings.

I believe we have one of the most significant Bible sections in our city. A total of 36 feet of Bibles and over $100,000 at retail of Bible inventory is arranged by translation. Sometimes when we cross-merchandise items they do end up in a section that does not match the signage for that section.

I believe we have the best staff in the country. Our 16 paid staff and 40+ volunteer staff man 21 registers and handle 4,500+ customer transactions every weekend.

Our underground parking is only free during service times, but we do have 60 parking spaces that are free during the week reserved for guests and bookstore customers.

Thank you for the evaluation, and we will continue to improve, expand and educate ourselves to further His kingdom through our ministry.”

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