Tag Archives: Christian Bookshop

Light Shines on in the Darkness as more Redundancies and Shop Closures hit Wesley Owen

Posted on January 25, 2012 by | 6 Comments
Update, 26/1/2011: Official announcements about the closures have now been posted by Wesley Owen: Bath | Bristol (pdfs, identical apart from the store locations and dates of closure)
The Bath Chronicle published a report on Weds 25/1/2012: Christian bookshop closes its doors

NEWS EMERGED YESTERDAY of further redundancies at Wesley Owen as the Bath and Bristol stores closed their doors for the last time; and whilst in certain respects that news — coming so soon after the weekend’s news of more job losses at TMD — might seem beyond worse, all is not yet lost: Richard Greatrex, former manager of the Bath store, has branched out independently with his own venture, Windflower Books.

Describing the project in a welcome message on the company’s newly launched website and blog, Richard writes:

Windflower Books has been in existence since 2007 as a small scale concern selling secondhand and remaindered theological books on the internet, supplying bookstalls for communities and events and publishing small runs of specialist material.

2012 sees a change in the Windflower venture as we seek to supply the needs of individuals, churches and communities in the South West who have lost their own local Christian Bookshops.

From a small start we hope to develop a system of bespoke bookselling tailored to the specific needs of each community we are working with. We are in the process of negotiating our first sites for enhanced bookstalls in local churches. Keep checking our blog, our Facebook page (Windflower Books) or our Twitter feed (windflowerbooks) for further details…

If you live in the South West and would like Richard to provide bookstall services for your church, do give him a shout: full contact details are available on the facebook page; and if you live further away, just hit that facebook Like button anyway to cheer him on.

Richard, I salute you: may the Lord bless you richly in this venture, and may your bookstalls be many and more popular than you can even begin to imagine.

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Posted in Independent Booksellers, News, People News, Wesley Owen

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Unity Christian Bookshop, Petersfield, launches fundraising appeal to prevent closure

Posted on December 21, 2011 by | 5 Comments

BOOKSHOPS CLOSING seems to be the theme of the month with Quench, St Albans, having announced closure at the end of the month (now also reported in the St Albans & Harpenden Review, 19/12/2011: Quench, Bon Marche and Dash to go), news emerging of Open Door Bookshop, Middlesbrough, having ceased trading and the Christian Bookshop, Chelmsford, due to close its doors in January (BBC News Essex report; also reported in the Chelmsford Weekly News, 14/12/2011: Chelmsford’s Christian Bookshop to close).

But one shop, Unity Bookshop in Petersfield, Hampshire, isn’t giving up without a fight and has launched a fundraising appeal to raise £10,000 to offset an ongoing annual deficit of £5,000 and — if the plan comes together — keep the shop open through 2012. Whether the shop can remain open beyond 2012 remains an open question, however: whilst donations can help as a one-off solution, in the longer term, like any shop, what’s actually needed is more customers. Speaking to The News, Portsmouth, Di Mackarness, chairwoman of the shop’s trustees, describes the situation:

It would be desperately sad if we had to close, but we have to be business-like about it, and if it comes to the crunch we will bow out with dignity.

But not without a fight first.We’ve never had to ask for funding before and we didn’t think we would need to.

We thought we could weather the storm like we have done in the past. But now we feel like we’re fighting a losing battle because technology is so advanced and less and less people are using the shop.

Donations will really help us get back on our feet in the short term, but in the long run what we really need is for more people to shop there.

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Posted in Bookshop Ramblings, News

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Mother and son join forces to save Walsall’s Christian Bookshop

Posted on January 25, 2010 by | 9 Comments

The Hub, Walsall - Press Release (pdf, 1.3MB)

Mother and son team, Christine and Luke Bunger, have today announced plans to save the former Wesley Owen Christian bookshop in Walsall. The shop ceased trading this weekend, one of the casualties of parent company IBS-STL UK’s collapse into administration shortly before Christmas 2009.

Christine Bunger was manager of Wesley Owen Walsall, where Luke, a frequent commenter on this blog, worked on a part-time basis. Luke was also responsible for the branch twitter stream, @wowalsall. The new store, The Hub Christian Resource Centre Ltd, is expected to open in mid-February, trading from the same premises in the Crossing at St Paul’s to continue a longstanding legacy of Christian retailing in the town. The Beacon Bookshop, Walsall’s first Christian bookshop, became part of the Scripture Union group before Wesley Owen took over operations. Luke, who takes on the role of Operational Manager of the new company, explains:

It’s a legacy which we were not ready to see come to an end. We believe that there is a market for what we offer, and the response from our customers and local Churches has certainly confirmed this for us. We are delighted that these plans rescue the shop, and open a new chapter in the history of the store.

Discussions [with suppliers] are ongoing but we are confident that the time frame we are working towards is both realistic, and achievable. We are very fortunate to be in a position where our suppliers, landlords and customers all believe so strongly in what we do. Without their support, none of this would have been possible. We are absolutely delighted by the responses we have received from all corners.

The Revd Mark Kinder, Priest-in-Charge of St Paul’s (which owns the shop unit), oversaw a large part of the fundraising initiative that has made the planned relaunch possible. He said:

The support has been truly fantastic. The local Churches have really got behind the management team, and offered their support, both financially and through their ongoing usage of the new shop. We are really excited about what the future has in store for The Hub and Saint Paul’s Church.

The Hub aims to become a one-stop-shop that will equip and support the local Christian community, stocking a wide range of Christian books, music, resources and gifts.

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Posted in Christian Bookshops, News

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Leicester: One Year On

Posted on November 7, 2008 by | 2 Comments
This weekend marks one year since the news broke of SPCK/SSG Leicester’s independence under a new name, Christian Resources:    

Congratulations to Peter Hebden and his team on making it this far: here’s wishing them every success for the future! I invited Peter to give us an update and perhaps offer some advice for anyone else seeking to strike out by themselves. He writes:

All the best stories begin with “once upon a time” and end with a “happy ending”. 

Once upon a time there was a Christian bookshop in Leicester trading under the name of SPCK. It was a kindly shop with lots of friends and neighbours.  Then one day there was a sudden whoosh as the wind of change blew away the cobwebs, some of the books, some of the staff, and even…….some of the traditional ways of doing things. SSGCT had arrived.

Principles and goals were challenged, even one’s raison d’être was examined and tested.  Many changes were promoted, many implemented, some refused (I hate wearing a tie). The results were of mixed value and after a year of frantic activity the whirlwind of SSGCT moved off to other shores.

What was left was renamed Christian Resources in an attempt to re-brand, broaden the stock range and concentrate on core customers. The rest of the world looked on in partial disbelief, finding it hard to accept that there may yet be a future for an independent bookshop. The future would lay in resourcing Christians with many things, the printed word accounting for perhaps only 55-60 % of sales.

We at Leicester have been fortunate to have an accommodating landlord, patient financial backers, (we thank God we did not turn to the banking system), and most importantly helpful suppliers. The landlords were able to offer accommodation with a short term ‘get out’ aspect and within a couple of weeks all the major suppliers offered credit facilities. These credit facilities were crucial in helping us to bring the stock of new books and products up to sensible trading levels. I can not stress enough the value in both financial and encouragement terms of credit facilities in those early days as we rushed headlong into Christmas.

There was much to organise in the first few weeks bearing in mind that the deal was not struck until the 15th of October, just 16 days to takeover day (and a week of that was spent on holiday in Turkey).

Here is a basic tick box list for anyone with a desire to ’step out of line’:

  • VAT REGISTRATION
  • PAYE REGISTRATION
  • BANK ACC. Paying in & cheque books
  • CREDIT CARD facility
  • TELEPHONE/INTERNET provision
  • SOFTWARE/HARDWARE
  • SERVICES, rates, electricity etc registration
  • ACCOUNTING procedures,
              Sales & purchase ledger systems
              Credit customer notifications
  • STAFF conditions of employment/contracts, H & S.

On reflection we are greatly blessed with the encouragement received from many quarters but take note you who may consider a similar step, the bottom line is that the customer is king. This means that if one doesn’t get the price ‘right’ then that good will which abounds on the first few weeks will evaporate as quick as the morning mist in spring. I have found  even the most loyal of customers don’t hesitate to use Amazon or go direct to a publisher or wholesaler if it suits. Remember nobody owes us a living, everybody has to find the best deal for themselves, not us.

As for a happy ending, well I am sure there will be one its just that I don’t know what it is yet, but I really do feel God will have a hand in it if I can just bring myself to let Him.

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Posted in Guest Posts

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More than just a business?

Posted on May 16, 2008 by | 4 Comments

A Christian bookshop is so much more than just another business, isn’t it? At least, that’s how it seems to me: I think of Christian bookshops as potential chill-out zones where people should be able to meet away from church; mission outposts on the high street (or in the back street, as the case may be), places where people who’d never darken the doorway of a church can wander in and out again without feeling intimidated or threatened; resource centres for local churches; outlets for fair trade products; informal counselling and career centres for people mixed up over life or seeking a new direction…

Canaan Christian Book CentreBut I wonder how many Christian bookshops have actually taken the bull by the horns (sorry Deborah – couldn’t resist it!) and teamed up with some trained counsellors to provide visitors with a professional counselling service? That’s what Canaan Bookshop in Staines have done, joining forces with Sue McGee and Deborah Bull, both of whom (amongst other qualifications) have Diplomas in Christian Counselling from London School of Theology/CWR and are members of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

They describe their approach as “non-judgemental and open to all, regardless of beliefs or religious background” and are able to help people work through all sorts of different issues ranging from anger, anxiety and panic attacks through bereavement, depression and eating disorders to relational difficulties, with all counselling sessions held in a private room at the bookshop.

With many Christian retailers struggling to survive, could initiatives like this be a viable way forward, offering a broader range of services to our customers? For Canaan the counselling side is nothing new: it was part of the original vision for the shop; but perhaps more of us should consider providing this kind of additional service alongside our retail activities?

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Posted in Musings...

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So you want to open a Christian bookshop?

Posted on May 5, 2008 by | 3 Comments

The two most frequently asked questions in my correspondence are:

  1. Will you review my book?
  2. How do I go about setting up or opening a Christian bookshop?

There are other questions, of course: we’ll get to those another time. But for the moment, being contrary, I’ve decided to address the second one first. This advice is far from being a comprehensive business plan: these are simply a few suggested starting points. If you’re already a bookseller, please do add your own comments and suggestions.

Updated 25th June 2011

  1. Start by checking the UKCBD Town & City Index and by asking around: is there already a Christian Bookshop in your area? If so, it’s unlikely that there will be enough business available to support another: go and talk your ideas through with them and see whether you can work together.
  2. Visit as many as possible of the local churches and other Christian organisations in your area to canvas support. (Thanks to John Duncan for raising this point).
  3. Subscribe (free of charge) to this blog. In particular, look out for the News Roundup reports for latest news and commentary on the UK Christian book trade and the wider world of Christian retail.
  4. Keep an eye on thegoodbookstall.org.uk for news, reviews and a vast array of other useful information.
  5. Contact the Booksellers Association (BA) – amongst other things they administer the National Book Tokens scheme and Batch, an online supplier payment system which will help streamline your admin. The BA can provide all sorts of information/advice on things to be aware of, possible pitfalls, sources of supply, deals on shop fitting, insurance, legal advice, systems etc. The BA’s Christian Booksellers Group can offer more specific advice for Christian booksellers. The membership subscription is based on your annual turnover.
  6. Contact TMD (Trust Media Distribution, previously STL-D, Send the Light Distribution). Despite an unfortunate history following a failed attempt to upgrade their IT systems in October 2008 (see STL: A Month of Darkness and related posts), the company has made a good recovery under new ownership and is once again arguably the UK and Europe’s leading Christian wholesaler. They will almost certainly prove to be one of your main suppliers if you decide to go ahead. For options on other suppliers, see Christian Wholesalers: is there anybody out there? It may also be worth contacting members of the Christian Suppliers Group.
  7. Consider subscribing to Christian Marketplace magazine: published bi-monthly, it includes regular columns from the BA Christian Booksellers Group and the Publishers Association’s Christian Suppliers Group along with various other helpful features. Subscriptions are currently free of charge to UK Christian retailers.
  8. Consider attending Christian Resources Together, the successor to CBC, the Christian Booksellers Convention. For many years CBC was the UK Christian book trade event, but in 2009 CBC handed its operations over  to Bible Society’s Christian Resources Exhibitions.  More info and related discussions.
  9. Consider charitable registration: it’s a complicated business but ultimately worth it for the tax breaks and advantages.
  10. Register your shop for inclusion in this site’s Directory!
  11. Come back here and tell us about your experiences.

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Posted in Advice

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