Small bookstores keeping the faith
Religious shops struggling despite products' popularity
Roy and Jackie Desbonnes, the owners of Ebenezer, a religious bookstore in Hyde Park, were in good spirits, despite the lack of customers on a recent afternoon.
The husband and wife, who also run a Pentecostal ministry down the street, say their nine-year-old business is struggling. They blame the poor economy and competition from the Internet.
"They can sell much cheaper than us," Roy Desbonnes, a native of the Caribbean island of Dominca, said of the online sellers. "They're huge."
As a result, Ebenezer and other religious bookstores nationwide are fighting for survival at a time when sales of religious books are actually rising dramatically. Most of the stores are small and independently owned, and like other independent booksellers, they have been undercut by national bookstore chains, big-box department stores like
Nationally, the number of religious bookstores fell by one-third between 2002 and 2006, from 3,701 to 2,464, according to industry data. Since the mid-1990s, about half of all independent bookstores in the United States have closed.
"Retail everywhere is going through a lot of change, and our business is no exception," said Bill Anderson, the president of the Colorado Springs-based Association for Christian Retail.
Two years ago, one of New England's largest and oldest religious booksellers, Matthew F. Sheehan Co. in downtown Bos ton, closed, shifting its operations to the Internet. A small religious bookstore and church furnishings outlet in Norwood, Saint Michel Liturgical Arts, went out of business last year.
Meanwhile, sales of religious books in the United States are booming. Between 2002 and 2007, they increased 57 percent, from $1.62 billion to $2.54 billion, according to data compiled by the publishing industry's Book Industry Study Group. During the same period, sales of all books increased by 47 percent, from $25.3 billion to $37.1 billion. "It is a very strong category," Albert Greco, a professor of marketing at Fordham University in New York, said of religious books. "The numbers are phenomenal."
Much of the increase in religious books sales is tied to the popularity of several inspirational authors, including megachurch ministers Rick Warren and Joel Osteen, according to Greco, who has studied the religious book industry. Their success prompted chain bookstores and other national retailers to clear precious shelf space to make room for religious books, Greco said.
The growth of the evangelical movement in the United States and a renewed interest in religion after Sept. 11, 2001, has also contributed to the recent success of religious books, according to Greco.
Still, despite the challenges they face, religious bookstores do have some advantages over their much larger competitors.
"It's the personal touch - the friendliness and the warmth," said Jackie Desbonnes, who came to the United States with her husband about 20 years ago to attend divinity school. "We pray with people."
Charles Martin, a seller at Sanctuary Bookstore in Needham, said, "You can't go to Wal-Mart and say, 'What's the best Bible for me?' "
Ken Jensen, the owner of Heritage House religious goods store in Brockton, said his customers are looking for more than merchandise. "It is essentially a ministry," he said. "We're not a church by any means, but some people who don't have a church do come here."
The Rev. Jason Genest, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Middleborough, said he has been shopping at Heritage for more than 16 years and stops in about once a week.
"You are always bumping into people there," said Genest. "I've had really neat conversations with people I've met there. It's an opportunity for fellowship."
Also, many religious bookstores have shifted from books toward gifts, clothing, and other goods as ways to generate revenue.
"We are diversified," said Tim McMullen, the owner of Prospect Hill Co., a Brockton store his parents opened in 1951. "The whole second floor has become a clothing boutique for First Communion season."
Many small stores also are using the Internet to bolster business. Jensen said a significant portion of his revenue comes from online sales. "We understand it's not an either-or world," said Anderson of the Christian retailing association. "It's both-and. We encourage our retailers to operate across platforms."
Pauline Books & Media, a Catholic bookstore in Dedham, has a chapel and a small coffee shop, where the coffee is free. Claire Ciavola, the store's assistant manager, said Pauline Books has a drastically different atmosphere from that of chain bookstores. "It's a spiritual place," Ciavola said. "People often come in and remark on how peaceful it is here."
