Christian Retail offers for the week of Feb. 16

Best-selling NFL coach Tony Dungy's new book leads the way for CLC Christian Bookcenters and Mardel Christian Education & Supply emailings.

Dungy's Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance (Tyndale House Publishers) is offered for $16.99 by CLC as its "Deal of the Week,," while the regular retail price of $24.99 is cut to $19.99 at Mardel.

Mardel also offers the paperback edition of Dungy's New York Times best-selling Quiet Strength for $7.49, half the regular price. The chain stays with the football theme to promote baseball star Josh Hamilton Beyond Belief (FaithWords) for $23.99, and the Facing the Giants DVD for $14.98.

Family Christian Stores focuses on children's resources, announcing Thomas Nelson's "Year of the Worm" promoting "Hermie & Friends" products. The promotion includes the latest episode, Skeeter ans the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure, reduced from $14.99 to $9.97, while the early Hermie: A Common Caterpillar is available for $7.49.

Family also offers a $10 mail-in rebate on purchases of both the new The VeggieTales Bible and DVD Abe and the Amazing Promise.

Christian stores and comic book shops cater to two different markets, but can something be learned from the success of one Seattle-area comic book retail business? In this article, (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/retailreport/2008713047_retailreport06.html), The Seattle Times profiles the business Comic Stop's expansion to three stores and highlights the spirit of “community” in the store.

From the article:

"A customer will come in and ask, 'Who do you think would win a fight between Superman and Thor?' And I'm like, 'Hey, yeah, I'll have that conversation with you!' " Demonakos said.

"You don't go into a clothing store and say, 'Now talk to me about Giorgio Armani,' " Byers said, building on Demonakos' point. "We have some people who want to talk about comics all day. Our sense of family is much greater."

Although the two businesses are different, are there still Christian retail customers looking to have a conversation with bookstore staff about inspirational products?

Having grown up as a customer of both, I can say the stores I gravitated toward were the ones that were characterized by a spirit of family, where the atmosphere was much different than an average general market bookstore. I loved to go in and ask the “comic book guy” what he thought of the new X-Men or the Christian bookstore worker when the new Petra was releasing and has he heard if it will be as good as This Means War!? Store workers who not only tolerated but encouraged my observations helped me feel at home.

Some positive news, it seems, for Christian publishers. Religious book sales were up 3.5% in December, according to figures from the Association of American Publishers (AAP) released today. That rise came as the adult hardcover category dropped 10%.

Some of the growth can doubtless be attributed to the Christmas season, but it also may be evidence of the belief held by many in the Christian products industry that in tough times people are more inclined to look for spiritual help.

We've been talking to Christian stores across the country about their experiences with consumers in the past few weeks, and will be reporting on what we learned soon. Meanwhile, to find more of the AAP details, go to http://www.publishers.org/

Christian Retail Offers for the week of Feb. 9

No surprise that Fireproof features in the offers, as Valentine's Day draws closer.

Parable stores offer the hit movie for $19.97 (regular price, $24.99), while slashing 35% off the price of the deluxe edition of the companion book, The Love Dare, available online for $22.99.

The Parable promotion also offers "more ways to fireproof your marriage," including discounts on the Fireproof Your Marriage curriculum. There is also an offer for The Love Dare Bible Study Member Book, which releases next month. It can be pre-ordered for $9.75.

Family Christian Stores features Fireproof for $19.99 in a "Let Love Flourish" mailing that includes a coupon for a free DaySpring greeting card valued up to $2.50. Family also promotes WillowTree figurines and the new Circle of Love gift line including miniature cross, decorative plate and candle, each for $7.97.

Christian retailers have some thinking to do ahead of next month's arrival of the DVD of House, the movie version of the novel by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti.

Christian Retail Offers for the week of Feb. 2

Mardel Christian Education & Supply's "Bargain Bibles" offer of an additional 25% off already reduced prices sees Zondervan's Archaeological Study Bible on sale for just $18.74, down from the regular price of $49.99. The same promotion reduces the NIV Message Parallel Bible from $36.99 to $19.99.

Mardel also introduces its "February $5 Fiction" sale. Titles available include Blink of an Eye and Showdown by Ted Dekker, and Karen Kingsbury's A Time to Dance. Also on sale for $5 is Eric Wilson's novelization of the movie, Fireproof. The film's tie-in devotional, The Love Dare, is on sale for $11.99 at Family Christian Stores, which is discounting 20% as its Book of the Year.

Family also promotes the countdown for the final days of pre-orders of the new VeggieTales adventure, Abe and the Amazing Promise. On sale for $12.97 instead of the regular $14.99, the new episode is being twinned with a free copy of Gideon: Tuba Warrior, a $29.98 value.

Both Family and LifeWay Christian Stores are promoting the new CompassionArt CD by a group of leading Christian songwriters collaborating to raise money for charity. LifeWay offers the music for $11.49 instead of the regular $14.99, while Family is selling the accompanying soft cover book for $14.99 rather than $19.99.