These have been very hot, sluggish days in Houston. It is easy in the middle of summer to believe that the rush of August and September will not come. But it will! Staff will return from vacation, Bible study teachers will begin to call and the fall semester will begin. So let me share some thoughts on how you can start to prepare for the fall and do some things that will make the summer special.

Your customers are going to be coming in from the heat, so why not greet them with something cool? Brownlow has some great lemonade mixes that you could sample to your customers. The company has sample packs, so that you do not have to crack open retail packages.

You might purchase some small bottles of water and have them waiting at the front door in a big bucket of ice. You could even make some labels on the computer, with the name of your store and your contact information. Even though you have air conditioning, a display that includes a table fan just suggests extra "cool."

Consider displaying some books that have suggestions for summer family activities, books for grandparents looking for ways to entertain their grandchildren and summer fiction reading.

Even though many church staff members are likely out on vacation, their administrative assistants are probably around, so be in touch with them, and see if decisions have been made about books that will be needed for fall classes.

As you receive catalogs from publishers, be on the lookout for titles that will be helpful to the different ministries in your church. Copy the relevant pages, and send them on to the department to be considered for a fall class.

Talking about being out of town ... I leave this weekend for the International Christian Retail Show in Denver, and hope to see many of you there.

I will be at booth 1814-home to Christian Retailing and The Church Bookstore magazines-on Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday, so please come by and learn about some of the great plans we have for the Church Bookstore Network in the coming year.

Each day-Monday through Wednesday-someone from the editorial staff of the magazines will be at the booth between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to visit with you and listen to your ideas for future issues.

And don't forget that on Sunday (July 12) at the Denver Marriott, at 5:30 p.m., you are invited to help us celebrate the beginning of the fifth year of our great magazine. We will have cake, punch and great fellowship. So, if you are in Denver, please come join us. I look forward to seeing you.

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