Wendy Elaine Nelles
After weeks of rumours, the word is out. A new store will be launched in the GTA on April 4, attempting to fill the market void left by the September bankruptcy of R. G. Mitchell’s retail operation. The new store will be called Faith Family Books and Gifts, and is being spearheaded by Larry Willard, the publisher of Castle Quay Books. He is joined by two investors from the banking and restaurant sectors.
Many people had commented about the craziness of a metropolitan area the size of Toronto being left without a major “destination-worthy” Christian bookstore. But Willard is going into this venture with eyes wide open about the immense difficulties in the Canadian Christian publishing, marketing, distributing and retailing areas. He has first-hand experience in all those fields. As the founder and publisher of Castle Quay Books, he runs one of the only independent Christian publishing imprints in Canada.
Can this new venture accurately be called a Christian bookstore?
Three interesting points:
1. The inventory of the 12,000 square foot store will be 50% books. Given that Heather Reisman, the owner of the Chapters/Indigo chain, is filling increasing floor space with cards, stationery, magazines, candles, CDs, DVDs, gardening items, chocolate, etc., it looks like bookstores can only survive through being subsidized by giftware.
2. Of the half-a-store of books, only 75% will be Christian. The remaining 25% will be general interest titles. With traditional Christian bookstores carrying only Grandma-friendly, non-controversial material, it will be fascinating to see which “secular” books are stocked.
3. The store will include a coffee shop and a performance space that can be used for book and CD launches.
Sounds like this might be the kind of formula that is enabling a few atypical Christian bookstores, such as House of James in Abbotsford, B.C., to survive and thrive. When visiting traditional Christian bookstores in recent years, my reaction is increasingly veering from boredom to frustration to depression. I’ve got huge empathy for people who truly are motivated by wanting to help people by owning or working in Christian bookstores, and who have lost their jobs or businesses.
But businesses have to earn customers through professional service. I’ve had experiences at Christian bookstores where bills have been botched up by clerks who never bothered to apologize, or where the manager or staff would not even give me eye contact, let alone say “Hello, can I help you?”
So, bravo to these new entrepreneurs who are taking on the Amazon and big box discount giants if they can manage to carry off a high quality retail experience through:
- owners who are interested in stocking and promoting books beyond marquee-name American bestsellers such as Joel Osteen, Max Lucado and Karen Kingsbury
- friendly, pro-active, well-informed staff members
- efficient customer service
- a bright, modern setting
- classy giftware that avoids the tacky Jesus bric-a-brac and the “share your faith” Testamints embossed with crosses or candy shaped like little fish
- a broad range of books, CDs, DVDs and Bibles IN STOCK (not, “Sorry, we don’t carry that, but we could order it in for you… and you can find time in your schedule to drive back at your own expense and inconvenience, and pick it up in maybe 2 or 3 weeks.”
- most of all, an ongoing commitment to showcase books, CDs, DVDs and giftware produced by our own CANADIAN writers, musical artists and artisans, to gain public exposure for the talents and voices in our midst.
Plus, a cup of good, fair-trade coffee or tea would enhance the whole experience.
We hear that the location is going to be near Highway 401 and McCowan Road, in the vicinity of the mega-mall Scarborough Town Centre. Seems like a canny move, given that the east side of the GTA was hardest hit by the loss of Mitchell stores in Pickering, Oshawa and Whitby, plus the earlier bankruptcy of the Blessings outlet in Scarborough. The new location will also serve the Markham and Scarborough residents who had patronized the Willowdale flagship Mitchell store.
See the January 27 news article news article from Quill and Quire magazine here.
1 Comment
February 13, 2009 at 12:31 pm
This blog post is now over two weeks old, but I wanted to make some comments for the record.
Your “three interesting points” represent the greatest risks in this particular project. As booksellers, we’ve been hammered by online competition for books; but fragile gift items seem more oriented to personal shopping. I can understand that move. I just hope that you can actually see some books when you look in the window.
The mix of family-friendly product into the CBA market is a recent development. I’ve tried this in the past and find that when ever we try to think outside the box, it tends to backfire. We’ll be watching this one with great interest. If that product isn’t moving, watch for a sale in August followed by 100% Christian inventory.
The non-selling space is always a concern in a world where “productivity per square foot” is a common consideration. This area will require almost constant programming, unless the owners have deeper pockets than most. Fortunately, many hours can be covered with a DVD player and a projector; for those times when live talent isn’t available.
You also mention going beyond the “A” list authors and artists. I fully agree that stores should try new titles in genres that have shown proven demand. But “B” and “C” list titles that don’t perform beyond the street date take up space that is needed to try yet other titles. That’s why the “A” list products seem to dominate the shelves.
I agree that tacky novelties are on the decline, and they were never a significant part of the inventory at RGM retail stores. Still, I feel sorry for that customer who wants to give something to his/her Sunday School class and can no longer buy things in the $1 range.
Carrying a huge in-stock inventory on music is what many believe contributed to Blessings’ issues. Personally, I don’t offer to order these things, I just say, “Can we give you a call when that comes in next week?” But my customers live within ten minutes drive, for the most part. There are presently about 180,000 Christian products available in North America. Even Sam’s Club only carries 5,000 SKUs. Do the math. Some things are going to necessitate an order.
All of which brings us to the issue of Canadian authors. I think that most of us who have bookstores really want to be supportive. Our major issue is knowing how the demand will be created. What factors, out there in the marketplace, will cause a customer to seek this particular title? Give us clear direction on that point, and we’ll purchase or take on consignment whatever you have to offer.
Paul Wilkinson
editor, Christian Book Shop Talk – blog for Canadian stores
owner, Searchlight Books – Brockville & Cobourg, ON