Dan Edelin offers “The Truth About Christian Bookstores” at Cerulean Sanctum, a blog looking for the 1st century church in 21st century America (October 2, 2008).
Edelin, who was at one time an assistant manager at a Christian bookstore, is not for the faint-hearted:
1. It’s impossible for mom and pop Christian bookstores to make money selling just books, Bibles, and CDs.
The only lamentations that rival Jeremiah’s are those of Christians complaining about the black velvet paintings of Jesus, the WWJD? trinkets, the Precious Moments figurines, the Made-in-China Bible character toys, and all the whatnot that make up the average Christian bookstore.
But here’s a sad reality that most people don’t know: Mom and pop Christian bookstores buy most of their Bibles, books, and music through massive distribution houses that handle all the goods. Or, as we call them, middle men.
In my day, Spring Arbor was the primary Christian goods distributor. Most Christian bookstores, even the large chains, dealt with Spring Arbor on some level. As the buyer of books, music, and CDs at two Christian bookstores (one a mom and pop and one a not-for-profit chain), I dealt with Spring Arbor constantly.
What I learned firsthand is that a book with an MSRP of $10 would almost always cost me $5 to buy. If I sold that book at full retail, I recouped my $5 cost. That left me with $5.
See the problem? My “profit” left me with nothing except the ability to restock that book. No payroll, no building rental costs, no utilities, no nothing.
Which means…
2. Most Christian bookstores must meet their financial obligations by selling high-margin junk.
The WWJD? keychain that sells for $5 but cost the store $1 to purchase is what makes the Christian bookstore world go ’round and ’round.
No trinkets, no Christian bookstore.
He also asks a very hard but thoughtful question at the end of his post.
And while we are here, most of what he says applies to the secular bookstore as well. The best place to buy balsamic vinegar and sophisticated napkins at the Yonge-Eglinton Centre near where I live is the Indigo bookstore – but it’s not their fault.
And I prefer it to Jesus kitsch.
- Denyse O’Leary
