One of the hardest questions to answer in planning a church bookstore is: What size store do I need?
A church must consider the size of its present congregation, as well as realistic growth expectations.

If the store is too small, it will be difficult to properly merchandise products, and sales potential will not be realized. If the store is too large, space that could be better utilized for other ministry areas is wasted. Merchandise then is spread too thinly around the store, and the store possibly becomes a financial burden to the church and its congregation.

In determining what size store to build, the most important consideration is the size of the congregation: This will drive everything. You then can make projections for annual sales by estimating annual sales per congregant. Then, you can determine annual sales per square foot to determine a reasonable size for your store.

I have found that sales per congregant range from $85 to $140 per year, so $100 in annual sales per congregant seems to be a reasonable working number and starting point. For every 1,000 congregants, a church can reasonably expect to produce $100,000 in annual sales in a well-designed space.

It is important to understand that a church bookstore is different from a regular retail operation, and this must be considered during the planning and design process. Perhaps the most significant difference is the large number of people that will be in the bookstore following church services and large ministry events.

A church bookstore must be designed with the busiest day in mind. This is particularly important when it comes to the width of the aisles, the number of P.O.S. stations and the amount of space needed to accommodate checkout lines during peak times.

Failure to properly plan store space can have serious financial implications-specifically by increasing labor costs. This is an everyday cost that can be quite substantial when multiplied out over the course of the year.

--George Thomsen is director of Harvest Bookstore at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., and chair-elect of CBA.

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