General market bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders may be strong competition for Christian retailers, but they are also among the best places to learn how to serve customers well.

That is the verdict of some in the Christian products industry asked to name their favorite general market store for a Christian Retailing survey of consumer insights.

Best-selling novelist Karen Kingsbury selected Barnes & Noble for seeming to “have a real grasp on what the readers want in a bookstore.” The stores “almost always are connected with a Starbucks, so that customers can have a cozy, comfortable experience while browsing through and purchasing books,” she said. And they were “intentional about having a prominent sizable” Christian fiction section.

Children's market consultant and author Dr. Mary Manz Simon cited Borders as a store “clearly organized” and “well-stocked.”

Others found lessons in less likely places, like Dan Balow, publisher of Oasis Audio. He named Restoration Hardware for a “fascinating mix of products and knowledgeable, helpful and friendly staff. … They have a culture that desires to make shopping an enjoyable experience.”

Wayne Hastings, senior vice president and group publisher-Bibles at Thomas Nelson Publishers, chose women's fashions specialty store Chico's. “They know their customer, take time to provide tremendous service, and they understand their niche and how important focus is-they don't stray from what they do best, and they focus on the core.”

Read the full report in the July 7 issue of Christian Retailing International.