Restyling at Chapelwood church store brings new and functional update

The Bookstore and Coffee Shop at Houston’s Chapelwood United Methodist Church is  refreshing its look. The store has been given a boost with slatwall to hang wall art and a modern core-board menu sign above the café counter.

“The bookstore was designed so it’s also available as a seating area when the bookstore is not open, so I have bookcases that have glass doors on them that close and lock. The wall of the bookstore is a tile wall that curves in, then has the coffee shop cut out with a counter area,” said Kris Jodon, bookstore manager and librarian.

Prior to the redesign, the flat tile wall had a menu on it, but that left little or no room to display wall art, which sells well at the store.

With the renovation, the menu was removed from the tile wall, and the space was covered with approximately 15 feet of slatwall for the display of wall art with products from vendors like P. Graham Dunn, Carpentree and Glory Haus.

Jodon said the new and improved 3-by-5-foot café sign will work better because the menu is positioned above the counter directly in front of customers who are ordering. She collaborated with the church’s communications department to create the new menu sign.

“I think it will get noticed,” Jodon said. “With our new pastor, Rev. Dr. John Stephens, we have a lot of things that are being done differently. For example, about three years ago, we changed our colors to using different tones of green. Keeping in line with that, we got new signage last fall to bring the bookstore up to date.”

The store uses signage and placement to showcase the books and studies that are planned or are in progress at the church so people can find what they need to participate.

“Anytime you do something new, your customers will respond,” Jodon said. “They’ll look up and they see that there’s been some change, and it gets them a little more interested in what’s happening.”

The floor plan for the store and coffee shop includes an approximately 720-square-foot area. The space features an espresso-drinks bar, nine bookcases, a center display area that can showcase 90-100 books face out, three small slatwalls, a Kerusso T-shirt spinner, a book spinner and three card spinners.

“This is all in addition to three coffee-shop tables and chairs, two sofas, four easy chairs and two ottomans,” Jodon said. “We make excellent use of the space.”

The manager described the store as a warm community space. It is an open space that remains usable even when the bookcases are closed and the gifts are put away. Team members also pray with and minister to their customers.

Chapelwood has five worship communities—Mercy Street, Center for Christian Spirituality (contemplative), Upper Room, three Sanctuary services and Esperanza—each unique and serving somewhat different congregations. The communities bring a variety of customers into The Bookstore and Coffee Shop—and the need for a variety of products.

Vineyard Columbus Bookstore in Westerville, Ohio, recently reached out to members of their community to provide a job-training program for the disabled. Teaming up with Central Ohio’s Greenleaf Job Training Services, the store was able to train several individuals in the work of a bookstore clerk.

Bookstore Ministry Coordinator Jeff Baker said he and his staff were able to offer job training skills, which included dusting and cleaning the store, alphabetizing books by author’s last name, burning sermon CDs and mastering basic computer skills.

“I was approached by a Greenleaf job trainer, who told me about their company that helps Ohioans with disabilities to get training for jobs,” Baker said. “They weren’t necessarily training for a job in my store, but we were training them to see what it would be like or to see if they could function in a role of a bookstore clerk.”

Greenleaf is a for-profit social enterprise that serves a niche segment of the Ohio population. The organization’s clients include veterans, individuals with learning disabilities, those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, people with visual or hearing impairments and others who face significant barriers in gaining employment.

“I thought this was a good way for us to reach out to our neighbors and to be a light in the community,” Baker said.

Baker and his staff worked with each individual and his or her job coach. Each training period lasted two weeks, but didn’t require a lot of time from the manager.

“We trained them on each function,” he said. “The job coach and the person we trained would then go and complete those particular jobs in our store. It turned out to be a win-win situation. We got to know them, and they had the opportunity to ask questions and finish each of the tasks. It went really well.”

The 3,200-square-foot store typically employs one full-time staff member along with four part-time clerks. A team of 37 volunteers assist the store staff.

“The main role of our bookstore clerks is to have a heart for discipleship and the gift of hospitality, to be warm and welcoming to people who come into the church and into the bookstore,” Baker said.

North Florida’s The Loft bookstore relocates as congregation led by Stovall Weems grows

The Loft Café & Bookstore in Jacksonville, Fla., now occupies a new facility—a move necessitated by the expansion of Celebration Church. After the 2013 move, the church campus doubled its seating capacity to about 3,000.  

 Trevor Olesiak, The Loft Bookstore & Café Director, said the store operated in a 250-square-foot space on the old campus.

The new store-café operation “was something that was designed and built in a three- to four-month period, and that really speaks to our incredible designer, so we’ve been operating in this new location for a little over a year,” Olesiak said.

The store and café share the same space, and a storefront roll-down gate leads into the church lobby.

“When we put that gate down and our doors are closed, the bookstore and café are modularly shut off from the rest of the building,” he said. “It allows us to do private events without having to open the entire building. It also enables us to be extremely connected to the building during a weekend experience.”

The café and store share the same colors, with uniform cabinetry and mobile fixtures.

“The vibe of the café and bookstore really matches the entire vibe of the whole campus,” the store manager said. “That’s something I’m really proud of and enjoy. It makes a big difference for us. It doesn’t feel like one environment in the church and then you walk into the bookstore and it seems totally different.”

The store has a youthful, nontraditional feel. Unlike many stores,  there are no endcaps, for instance.

“It’s all cabinetry and shelving that was designed to fit within the environment and theming,” he said.

The store is named The Loft because the space is two stories with an upstairs area. The second floor features open seating for about 250.

“It allows us to do cool events and things like that, from author events to summer movie nights,” Olesiak said.

One recent example was the launch of The God-First Life (Zondervan), the latest from the church’s pastor, Stovall Weems.

The Loft is primarily open Sundays and Wednesdays to meet the church’s needs.

The store’s philosophy is “to resource the kingdom, but we also want to fund ministry, so most of our items are set at retail price,” he said. “We do different promotions and sales, but we don’t do a lot of heavy discounts. Part of our story is that by shopping here, it’s maybe a dollar more expansive than it is on Amazon, or at Walmart, but you’re funding ministry.”

New focus highlights service, marketing and connecting with customers

First Christian Church of Huntington Beach recently relaunched and rebranded its bookstore and coffee shop, which was formerly a combined concept called Main St. Coffee & Books. Now, the California bookstore and café are two separate entities—Crossings Christian Books and Gifts and Red Car Café.

Jon Michell, director of retail and food services, believes that branding the store and café separately gives them their own identities. The rebranding started last fall.

“In the random conversations that we’ve had with guests as they are walking through, they love the change, the fresh idea and the new look,” Michell said.

Michell said the changes are subtle with new graphics and logos as well as fresh paint. A three-quarter wall separates the two spaces, which make up an approximate 1,000-square-foot area.

Crossings stocks a mix of Bibles, study tools, devotionals, fiction and nonfiction titles as well as music and gifts.

When the café and store were one entity, “they had the same hours, and one crew did everything,” Pastor of Communications Matt Walker said. “We had cross-trained baristas that were also working in the bookstore, and we felt like they both needed their own identity to excel with what we are trying to do, so we split the two entities.”

Now, anytime anyone looks up a product, whether online, on social media or by phone, they are dealing with two separate places, he said.

Since the relaunch, there is one part-time bookstore manager who oversees the store along with a dozen volunteers that act as frontliners and handle day-to-day operations. In the café, there are about five paid hourly employees.

The store serves as a central location for staff and volunteers aiming to impact the community.

“People can go anywhere and buy books,” Walker said. “They can go online to websites like Amazon. They can find it at other retailers they like, but we’re offering those connection points for our guests. We are their local bookstore. We offer a level of service and kindness that we feel really goes a long way for what we’re doing at Crossings.”

Walker said that the church as seen a “huge difference” with the rebranding.

“Because we are branding our bookstore as a bookstore and a gift shop, we are gaining higher traffic, people are more intrigued because of the separate branding, and we are finding people are seeking out a bookstore that is an actual facility rather than something that’s online with no connection points,” he said.

The rebranding also allows for more direct promotions for each fan base such as a customer loyalty program in the café or a newsletter with new releases.

“We’re finding with Red Car Café that our coffee and café business is also increasing, due to the fact that people are finding what they want where they want it,” Michell said. “We felt like we were trying to do too much with one staff. By separating the two, we are able give them more individualized attention and the community is definitely responding.”

‘Flexibility’ was key as store underwent remodel as part of a church-wide revitalization plan

A recent remodel and renovation has given The Bookstore at Lake Pointe a face-lift. Improvements to the approximately 1,500-square-foot location in Rockwall, Texas, include greater visibility as well as new fixtures, displays and shelving, not to mention the ability to incorporate new features in areas like the children’s section.

“We added a treehouse, which is a lot of fun,” said Bookstore Manager Jill Sledge. “It’s a two-story clubhouse that’s made to look like a tree. Upstairs, we play a kid’s video and we have books available for them to read. We also have several beanbag chairs up there so they can go hang out, read or watch a movie while their parents shop.”

With the entire church undergoing a renovation, the bookstore was a part of the makeover. Located in the church’s south foyer, the family-friendly store was closed after Easter last year for the improvements. In the meantime, it operated out of a temporary space that was a fourth of the store’s original size. The modernized store marked its progress with a Dec. 1, 2012 opening.

Advising other stores that have a remodel on the horizon, Sledge pointed out that adaptability is key. 

“Everything is constantly changing,” she said. “The name of our game last year was flexibility and that has served us well.”

Last renovated in 1996, the store was in need of an update. 

“We were working with older fixtures that were outdated,” Sledge said. “Now, we have new fixtures. The store is nice to shop in and you can see all of the product.”

The improved, shopper-friendly atmosphere has been a good change for the store, which started as a book table and became a store in 1996. 

The primary change is that the store now opens to the main foyer of the church. Before the remodel, access was limited because of a wall that separated the store from the foyer. A staircase that blocked the store from the foyer was moved to the back of the store, providing an increased, expansive view.

“This has opened us up to the high-traffic areas of the church, so that the bookstore can be seen,” Sledge said. 

The store’s product mix includes books, Bibles, Bible covers, DVDs, church supplies and children’s items as well as resources by the church’s pastors, Steve Stroope and Todd Phillips; music by the Lake Pointe worship team; and gifts by Forgiven Ministry (largely jewelry and artwork made by local crafters). The store also offers gently used books. 

All proceeds from the store go back into the ministries and missions of the church. Monies are used is to fund camp scholarships for students, for example. 

“Nannette Preston started Forgiven Ministries about two years ago. The products are donated to the church, sold through the bookstore and 100% of the sales go toward to the missions of the church. The same is true with our used book program,” Sledge noted. “These programs have been well-received by our customers, and we have been able to give back thousands of dollars.”

The Bookstore at Lake Pointe serves a 10,000-member congregation.

Resource center builds on interest in Willow Creek’s visiting authors

Church bookstore founder George Lindholm had a passion to get Bibles, books and other resources into people’s hands to help them grow spiritually. Planting and nurturing new life in Christ was the idea behind the name of Seeds Resource Center, a ministry of the Chicago-area multi-campus Willow Creek Community Church.

Seeds is managed by Bookstore Director Jennifer Acanfora. A 5,000-square-foot location with an extension called The Branch that operates in the church’s main lobby Saturdays and Sundays, Seeds blossomed out of an increased need for Bibles and messages by Bill Hybels, founding and senior pastor.

Serving a congregation of more than 20,000, one of the store’s key ministries is to support guest authors who speak at the church. 

For instance, when the church focused on a series called “Celebration of Hope,” highlighting compassion and justice issues, North Park Theological Seminary professor and author Soong-Chan Rah spoke. 

“He had a brand-new book out, The Next Evangelicalism from InterVarsity Press,” said Receiving Manager Brad Lasater. “We were able to get that in, feature it and have it for sale. We try to feature what is both new and relevant.”

When an author visits, the store finds out what books have been released on the topic the author is addressing, including the speaker’s recent titles. 

When Gateway Church pastor and author Robert Morris came to speak, Seeds had a big promotion with several tables set up in the lobby. 

“Fortunately, his church was able to get us a large quantity of four of his titles,” Lasater said. “One of them focused on the message he was speaking about and he gave quite an inspirational message. We were able to offer the congregation a good price, at a discount, and we sold quite a few of them.”

Willow Creek is bringing in several guest speakers this summer, including Craig Groeschel, John Ortberg and Henry Cloud, so the store will be fully engaged in helping to sell their books.

Sales at Southeast Christian’s store increase as listeners tune in on air

Readers of the Zondervan best-seller Not a Fan may be acquainted with Southeast Christian Church, where author Kyle Idleman is teaching pastor. Messages from Idleman and Senior Pastor Dave Stone are heard regularly on three local radio stations—with revenues from The Living Word store supporting the radio outreach. 

“We are on three different radio stations, WHAS Radio, WFIA and Shine,” said Dena Meade, ministry leader at The Living Word Ministry. “The intent is to get the gospel out into the city.” 

Throughout the week, messages are broadcast on air during morning and evening drive times, reaching commuters.

In part because of the radio ministry, The Story (Zondervan), subtitled “The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People,” has moved very well at the store. The Living Word sold and gave away more than 10,000 copies when Southeast went through an eight-month, church-wide study.

“There are people who have come by The Living Word bookstore as a result of hearing a message on the radio or on television,” said Cary Meyer, director of communications and creative arts. “They wanted to pick up a book because they wanted to follow along. These are people who aren’t church members, or attending, but they are listening to the radio.”

The store at the Louisville, Ky., church was built out of the vision of Judy Russell, former president of The Living Word. It opened during the Christmas season of 1998, after the church moved into its third and current home at 920 Blankenbaker Parkway. Russell and her husband, founding senior pastor Bob Russell, retired in June 2006, and Stone now serves as senior pastor of the 22,000-member congregation. 

Under the leadership of Pastor Russell, the radio ministry was established in the early 1980s and was followed by the opening of the store. 

Prior to the store’s opening, the church operated a resource ministry, which funded all of the radio broadcasts. The resource ministry sold recorded sermons and was able to generate ongoing funds to cover the radio costs. 

“Even if listeners never walk in the doors of our church, they will call in or get online to order a sermon to give away,” Meade said. “We have also seen a lot of people come forward, visit our church or come to know the Lord through our radio ministry.”