Hearst family backing for ministry to smalltown community also encourages support for Israel

Few visitors are aware of the connection between a modest Christian bookstore in a small Western mountain town and one of the country’s best-known media empires.

But Praise Productions Christian Store in Ridgway, Colo.—the location for the famous John Wayne movie True Grit, with a population around 1,000—is operated by Victoria Hearst, granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst. He was the newspaper publisher who gave his name to the corporation that now includes major broadcast and print interests.

Hearst opened the store in 1998, after moving to Ridgway—located at 6,000 feet, near the San Juan National Forest—on becoming a Christian and swapping plans for a show business career for ministry.

In addition to serving local residents, the store draws visitors from surrounding parts of the state and many tourists. Previously located in a three-level building on the town’s main street, the store moved to a single-level, 1,000-square-foot location nearly three years ago.

Besides Bibles, books and music, the store has a major emphasis on products and resources from Israel, where Hearst travels frequently as an enthusiastic supporter of the country with her Praise Him Ministries (PHM). Among the items available are shofars, prayer shawls, wall hangings, scrolls, decorative candles, olive wood products and anointing oils.

The store got its name because its initially sold its own T-shirts, but the line was later discontinued. A few years ago, the business was absorbed into the operations of PHM, through which Hearst runs a youth center in the town and hosts NightVision, a Christian concert, in Olathe, Colo. The two-day event drew more than 10,000 people last year.

With no retail background, Hearst said it was “totally God” who made it possible to start the store. “He just gave me the capacity,” she said, adding that the former owner of another Christian store that had recently closed in Ridgway came on staff. 

“God puts you together with people,” Hearst said of the connection. “She knew exactly how to order and do all those things.”

Day-to-day operations at the store are now overseen by Manager Marianne Hute, a former schoolteacher. “It’s such a nice store that people enjoy coming in to browse,” she said. Sometimes, visitors are shocked that such a small town boasts a store with its inventory, Hute added.

The store’s pre-Christmas sale—when everything excepted the Israel items is discounted 50% prior to Dec. 25—has become a popular draw. 

“It’s quite astonishing; I have to add a couple of people so there are three of us working full time because it is so busy,” said Hute. “We do about as well during that time as we do for six months out of the year.”

For Hearst, the store is part of her ministry to the local community. 

“I am blessed, and I can keep it going. Financially, I keep it going because it is important and God says to keep it going,” she told Christian Retailing. “The bookstore helps spread the gospel and also takes a stand for the Lord and for Israel.”