A message from Geni Hulsey, president of the Church Bookstore Network:

I will never forget a conversation I had with a young man who was a member of our congregation, about the purpose of a bookstore—or any type of retail—within the confines of a church.

He was not a skeptic, but rather a strong supporter of the store. He was merely curious about the position a bookstore held in a church. His question was how I saw it as a ministry, rather than just a resource or a service. My response was: "If it is not a ministry, if it has no place in the church." I believe that with all of my heart.

Though the economics of a church bookstore must be an important issue, I believe that if we make them our chief concern, we lose sight of the reason to have the store in the first place.

In this newsletter and in The Church Bookstore magazine, we endeavor to help make the business side of your job as a manager easier. But if that is all we do, we may as well be training you to manage a local coffee shop or gift store.

Heidi Macias has been appointed the new Region 6 (Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin) director for the Church Bookstore Network.

Manager of Books of Hope at Community of Hope Church in Rosemount, Minn., Macias (top) takes over from Heidi Bodette (below), founding manager of Daily Bread Books at Hosanna! Lutheran Church in Lakeview, Minn.

Books of Hope was named Small Church Bookstore of the Year for 2009 by Christian Retailing and The Church Bookstore magazines. Bodette was Church Bookstore Manager of the Year in 2007.

Church Bookstore Network President Geni Hulsey said that the transition was "bittersweet." Bodette's leadership in the region and training at The Gathering workshops would be "sorely missed," Hulsey said. Meanwhile, Macias would bring "an excellence to the table" from her involvement in the region, presentations at The Gathering and articles for The Church Bookstore.

"Heidi Bodette has been instrumental in helping church-based retail become established in the Minnesota area and beyond," said Dave Condiff, publisher of Christian Retailing and The Church Bookstore magazines.

"She has been a key factor in organizing regular regional meetings for stores to train and fellowship together," he added. "The great thing about her leadership is that she leaves a solid group of people who will work together to maintain the regular get-togethers without missing a beat.

"In Heidi Macias, stores in the area will have a great regional director to call on as needed. I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Heidi Macias for many years when I owned and operated my store in Minnesota. I look forward to working with her as we plan The Gathering 2010 in Louisville, Ky., next April."

For more information about the Church Bookstore Network and your regional director contacts, go to
http://www.thechurchbookstore.com/districts/index.html.

CBA Chairman-elect George Thomsen will be among the speakers at a regional meeting, Monday, Oct. 19, at Cottonwood Church in Los Alamitos, Calif. He is manager of the award-winning Harvest Store at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif.

Topics for the event will include "Retail Essentials-Developing a Bookstore," "Building and Maintaining a Volunteer Team" and "Merchandising Your Store."

Contact Cottonwood Bookstore Manager Rose Seeley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 714-947-5356.

You can qualify for free registration for The Gathering 2010, the annual Christian Retailing and The Church Bookstore conference and trade show, to be held April 21-23 next year in Louisville, Ky.

The free places at the event to be hosted by Southeast Christian Church are being offered to stores that participate in the Virtual Christmas Showcase, the publications' latest online initiative.

Featuring details of suppliers' holiday promotions, with some special offers, the virtual presentation will run Sept. 30-Nov. 16 at the Web site, www.christianretailing.com.

The free registrations for The Gathering 2010 will go to stores that place qualifying orders during the Virtual Christmas Showcase.

Up to 90 exhibitors are expected to be part of the live event at Southeast Christian Church, whose The Living Word bookstore won the Christian Retailing and The Church Bookstore Large Bookstore of the Year award for 2009.

The Gathering will also include training sessions, teaching, prayer for the industry and fellowship. Previously held in Texas and Florida, the event has been moved back from January to after Easter to avoid busier periods and make it easier for stores to send representatives.

by Dave Stevanus

Some people consider gift items a distraction from the "real" ministry of selling books, but gifts can benefit your store in many ways.

A WARM WELCOME

When properly displayed, gift items can create a warm and inviting place for shoppers to feel relaxed and have some fun. This is also a great way to give your store a seasonal touch. The display and layout of your store should be separated by categories; a designated area for gifts creates an attractive atmosphere for your customers.

A FRESH LOOK

Keeping the store new and inviting is a difficult task. Gift items can help the store look a little different each time your customers come by. Have you ever wondered why the big retail chains move merchandise around so often? It is to keep things looking fresh. Many times, an item on a display in one part of the store can be moved to another location and suddenly see explosive sales. Bringing in new items can have the same effect, and customers will continue to return to see what is new.

Customers are more likely to accept having to wait to be served in a busy store if they feel that the checkout process has been made as smooth as possible. Temporary line barriers can ease the traffic flow during busy periods.

Is there any advantage to paying suppliers earlier than their invoice deadlines?

Considering paying a supplier early is a matter of cash flow. Investigate whether they offer an incentive for early payment. Many suppliers offer discounts (2% and up) for payment within a certain number of days of invoicing.

If the discount is going to be a significant amount, always see if you can take advantage of this opportunity. Even if you are diligent to watch for discounts, you will be surprised to see how much they can add up to in a year.

Got a question for Betty Bookstore? Write to her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You might want to check the inventory in your "cults" corner, as church members may be looking for information about the Freemasons.

The group has been brought to the fore this week by best-selling novelist Dan Brown, whose The Lost Symbol centers on the secret fraternal order. Knopf Doubleday printed 5.6 million copies of the 528-page thriller, which broke Barnes & Noble records for first day sales of adult fiction on its release, Tuesday.

Brown's previous The Da Vinci Code—which has sold more than 80 million copies worldwide—spawned a slew of Christian books debunking its assertion that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene.

Brown told USA Today that he had not read any of the books challenging his claims, but "I've always said there's room for different opinions. Controversy is a good thing when it gets people thinking and talking."

In regard to his own beliefs, Brown—who was raised an Episcopalian but no longer attends church—described them as a "work in progress." He said: "My spirituality is a private thing. I spend part of every day thinking about religion, spirituality and God-maybe more than people who go to church. By Sunday, I'm pretty tired."

We asked how your store handled special orders:

"A large percentage of our sales can be attributed to special orders. We are usually able to provide the books needed in a two- to three-day turnaround. This pleases the customer and fulfills their need.

"We always offer to special-order for a customer if we do not have a title in stock. We also have signs posted around the store to let customers know that we are happy to special-order for them. They are especially pleased when they find out the item will arrive in two or three days.

"We have special-order forms printed up on red paper. These are clipped to the purchase order. When the items are received into the store, the customer is called, and the red special order form gets rubber-banded to the item and placed on our 'holds' shelf at the front checkout counter."

Diane Busch, manager
RiverTree Christian Church Bookstore
Massillon, Ohio

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Luke 12:34, New International Version