External appearance: Store name on strip marquee adjacent to busy street and in large green and white letters above the wide storefront.

Window display: Through 15 full-length windows across the front, to the left the light-colored work area behind the register was easily seen, with Bible covers hanging on adjacent slatwall.   In the many windows to the right of the double doors, 16 rounders stood all in a row in front of the windows with Mass cards, crosses, sun catchers, bookmarks and medals. On the floor, between the rounders and the windows, 2- and 3-foot tall statuary, some of which faced the parking lot. Small pots with artificial greenery were stuck between some of the statues.

Entrance: Two small event posters hung on the adjacent window to the left of the doors. Also to the left was a stack of red baskets and gift bags hanging on the short slatwall below the register counter.

Layout and inventory: Bibles, devotionals and other books were along the far left wall. A large display of seasonal titles sat face-front adjacent to the register. T-shirts were hung neatly next to that. Hanging from the ceiling at the back, a "Just for children" sign was above the children's section. This included an entire section of children's books on saints and a mix of titles from Eerdmans, Liguori, Pauline Books and Media, Twenty-Third Publications, Zondervan, Concordia and Standard Publishing.

Liturgical books for clergy were at the back of the store, then an expansive hanging display area with a wide selection of apparel, including dalmatics, robes, chasubles, stoles, albs, clergy wear and other vestments. A small section of music and CDs was below a Fontanini stable. Framed papal portraits were hung in a large area at the back corner. Three alcoves were along the store wall to the right: crucifixes and crosses in the first section; statuary, interspersed with greenery in the middle section and the front section was entirely devoted to First Communion, including dresses that were 50% off (final sale: no refunds or exchanges). Nearby, First Communion apparel for boys included red and black ties. Books were at store center, but approximately two-thirds of the floor space was non-book product.

Appearance: Full, with "functional," not flashy, merchandising. Except for a glass display case with pectoral crosses and other clergy and church-supply items (cruet sets, Mass kids, sick-call sets, pyxes, patens) at store back, items were placed on shelves rather than being integrated into artistic displays.

Staff: When asked for a specific type of product, the female frontliner at the register pointed me in the right direction, then came out from behind the counter to show me additional products in another section. During my visit, a second female frontliner, whom I passed in the aisle, asked if I was finding what I needed.

Verdict: Clearly organize the adult titles on the left wall. It was disconcerting to see a humorous book adjacent to the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Look critically at the line-up of rounders in the front windows. Consider breaking up the row with a small display of religious jewelry and rosaries on a draped table.

If this were your regular store? A Roman Catholic customer could find or order anything they would need.

Would a non-Christian feel comfortable here? The amount of some of the gift products—like the entire row of First Communion dolls in the third alcove—and the large inventory of medals and rosaries could be overwhelming.

What will you remember of your visit a week from now? The Web site is one of the most effective Christian bookstore sales and marketing tool I've seen. It offers timely specials, personalization and an extensive list of product links. The most interesting link pictures photos of big-ticket custom items. The pictures, taken in area churches and schools, showcase a wide variety of products, including life-size statues, altar ware, an Italian-made canopy and electric candle stands. The link is an excellent example of suggestive selling.

The manager declined to comment.