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By Jim Coggins
CLOSE TO three dozen Canadian Christian bookstores have closed in the past 12
months. But that didn’t stop Larry Willard and his partners from officially opening a large new store
in Toronto in early May.
“God is opening a window at an unusual time,” said Willard, who admitted that the new store represents a big risk.
Faith Family Books and Gifts is located in the high-rent Town Centre Plaza in
Scarborough, one of the busiest corridors in the Toronto area. And, with 11,000
square feet of display space and about 2,000 square feet of warehouse space, it
is much larger than most Christian bookstores in Canada.
If the opening day is any indication, the risk is paying off. Willard said he
prefers to see it as God’s affirmation of a faith venture. Between three and four thousand customers
crowded into the store, with some lined up to get in when the store opened and
others still packed into the store at closing time. One-day sales were about
$26,000, a good monthly total for some smaller stores.
The store is an attempt to do “something new,” said Willard, and the first day was “a fabulous success.”
Ironically, it is a success that became possible only because of failure. When
the R.G. Mitchell chain of stores went bankrupt last year, Willard’s company bought some of the chain’s inventory and equipment, and hired some of its experienced staff.
The new store, said Willard, will not operate as a “traditional” Christian bookstore but more like “a Christian community centre, a hub of Christian activity” – a place where Christians will meet their friends and youth groups will meet for
coffee.
The store has a cappuccino bar and coffee shop. It offers mini-concerts by
Christian bands and singers, and book signings and talks by authors. Five
groups played on opening day, and 10 authors signed books.
An expanded range of products will also be offered: a broader range of books,
including books by Canadian authors; more gifts and original Canadian Christian
artwork; Christian music; and products for children.
Faith Family Books and Gifts also plans to directly challenge competition from
online booksellers and big box stores, which sell books by the most popular
Christian authors at discount prices. The store will do this partly by buying
larger volumes of books at better rates from publishers and distributors and
cutting its own profit margin. It also plans to expand its website to handle
internet sales.
The store will also use a variety of innovative marketing techniques, such as
radio, TV, flyers, email blasts and an expanded website with blogs by experts
recommending various books. Customers will receive points for their purchases
which can be used by their pastors to buy theology books.
Faith Family Books and Gifts may symbolize a new trend in the Canadian Christian
bookstore industry. To some extent, it is modeled on House of James (HOJ) in
Abbotsford, which just opened a $1 million expansion. It also features weekly concerts,
website sales, blogs and innovative marketing.
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HOJ owner Lando Klassen said bigger stores may be the wave of the future, but
the key is still personal interaction between the bookseller and the customer.
Christian bookstores have to offer something more personal than the websites
and cheaper books of the mainstream competition. The bookseller has to know
customers in order to meet their needs.
Mark Hutchinson, owner of the Blessings bookstore chain, which faced bankruptcy
last year and cut back from 24 stores to three, told BCCN the chain is now experiencing growth by doing many of the things Willard and
Klassen are doing. The three remaining stores – in Edmonton, Calgary and Langley – are offering a wider range of products (including more book titles and DVDs),
better prices, faster turnaround on special orders, giftware and tickets for
community events.
Blessings has a database of 125,000 customers, and sends out a monthly email
newsletter to 30,000 people. It will soon launch a completely revamped website,
and expects to eventually be able to offer music downloads online. But
Hutchinson also agreed that the personal touch is still important – “friendly, caring service by knowledgeable people.”
The three remaining Blessings stores are all fairly large, ranging in size from
about 6,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet – without coffee shops. Hutchinson and Klassen agreed that only larger stores in
larger communities of 40,000 to 50,000 people can do the things they are doing.
But there are exceptions, Klassen added, noting that some smaller stores in
smaller communities are doing well as long as they are very well run.
“We are moving in the right direction,” said Hutchinson. “As long as we keep listening and adapting, I believe we have a great future
ahead of us. A couple of years ago, I wondered if we did, but now I’m pretty buoyant.”
Steve Almond, Blessings’ new operations manager for product and business development, agreed. Christian
bookstores, he noted, are performing the same ministry they always have, but
just in new ways.
“The excitement here is infectious,” he said, adding: “If there has been a prediction of the demise of the Christian bookstore, it is
premature. We’re not going anywhere.”
June 2009
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