CHRISTIAN RETAILING Guest Editor James Barnett says stores should EMPHASIZE THE TOUCH FACTOR SERVING THE $4.6 BILLION CHRISTIAN PRODUCTS INDUSTRY UA RY // 7. 00 The ind ust ry a you i ge ip www. ch ri ti anretai i ng. om Brick-and-mortar retailers can beat the Internet when it comes to physical products and the opportunity for meaningful relationships with customers. James Barnett, president of gift company DaySpring, explains how in our latest Guest Editor issue. Read more from page A CHAR I MA I A Publication A store offers retail lessons Former teacher Dorothy healthy Parables has been built on Three BY ANDY BUTCHER As a former teacher who in some ways views her 14,000-square-foot Christian store simply as a bigger classroom, Dorothy Alford believes that success depends on doing your homework. Careful study of the facts and analysis of the options have helped her come up with the right answers for Parables as it has faced changes in the industry for almost 30 years. And at 85, she has no plans to slow down. love what I says the owner of the store in Omaha, Neb. love books. I love the message that books have, and I love to talk to the customers and find something that will make a difference in their lives. I have no intention of retiring until my health tells me that I Revised opening hours, staffing cutbacks, tweaked buying policies and inventory balance without having a negative effect on customer among the changes that have been introduced in recent times following evaluation. The results: Last business was level with 2010 despite the down economy, with an uptick in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the store is also planning to expand its already strong gift department and start selling e-books as digital publishing begins to impact print sales. Such moves have earned Alford and her team several CBA awards for excellence and last year the Servant Leadership Award from The Parable which she has been a member from its inception. Her career has been by quiet excellence. She exemplifies discipline, humility, intelligence and said Steve Adams, A A a 10 Christmas season delivers positive results, points to Stores, suppliers see modest gains, digital sales BY ERIC TIANSAY Mild weather, an emphasis on and the Borders bookstore chain closure were among the factors contributing to a positive holiday season for Christian products industry. Known as a servant leader, Parables owner Dorothy Alford walks the sales floor of her store six times a day to see how she can help, a practice that helps her order products more effectively. Total retail sales for November and December looked set to increase by 3.8%, according to the National Retail Federation. As expected, Black day after Thanksgiving and the official start of the holiday shopping the biggest sales day of 2011, generating sales of $11.4 billion, up 6.6% from 2010, according to mall-traffic tracker ShopperTrak. Black Friday week sales showed growth and a continuing for Christian stores, CBA said. Sales spiked 32.8% compared to 2010 for the Monday-through-Saturday week that included Black Friday, accordCHRISTMAS, page 15 ing to the trade associaMORE INSIDE CROSS:SCAN sales data from more than 600 Ex-NFL star Eddie George, singer-wife Tamara, write a marriage guide, page 18 Christian stores. Bruce Marchiano portrays Christ once again, page 26 Unit sales also skyrocketed with the total sold Ways to tap into Easter outreach event sales, page 28 for the top 10 best-selling award winners identify key trends for 2012, page 32 products up 109.8% and Inspirational contemporary romance is wooing the general market, page 36 the top 50 best-sellers NEW SERIES: Solutions Center answers operational questions, page 38 up 110.7% from 2010,