How to Open a Religious Bookstore
Starting a bookstore has always been a challenge, but it can be even more challenging when you are in a niche market. A business owner of a religious bookstore has many of the usual problems, such as competing with big chains, along with some unique issues, such as what to stock and how to compete with church bookstores. It's never an easy path, but there are some ways to make it easier for you.
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Instructions
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Decide which religion or religions you want to cater to and how much of their information you want to carry. Nearly all Christian bookstores, for instance, carry Bibles, but you'll need to decide if you will also carry such related items as the Book of Mormon or the Bible with Apocrypha. Some religions may have a wider variety of merchandise available than others.
Many religious bookstores also carry music and gifts, so you need to decide if that is something for you.
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Apply for a state-issued business license. Check state and local laws about fictitious business names and how to apply for one. If there is more than one partner in the business, you may need to look into applying for Articles of Incorporation.
Your local Small Business Administration office should be able to help you with this step.
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Find a location that is close to churches or holy centers, if possible. Look for busy areas, such as strip malls or downtown settings. Pick a name for your business that lets the consumer know it's a religious bookstore. Anything that will catch the religious person's eye as he walks or drives by is a good idea.
You should also buy your website now, even if you aren't an online-only seller. Having a web presence will help drive up traffic to your store.
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Put in shelves, cash registers and decorations. If you are low on funds, you can build the shelves yourselves and look online for such essential items as cash registers and decorations.
Whether you build or buy, make sure to look for bookshelves of varying heights and sizes. While most books fit in a standard bookcase, many religious books, such as Bibles, do not. If including a music and gift section, be sure to use shelving that easily holds and displays the merchandise. Shelving made specifically for CDs and gifts uses a more open display case to highlight the product.
Consider placement issues when making your floor plan, if you are catering to multiple religions. Some booksellers prefer to keep some distance between sections devoted to religions that have a history of conflict (Christianity and Islam, for example), while others may group religions together by region (Hinduism and Buddhism).
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Contact distributors to receive product. Zondervan is the largest distributor of Christian material, especially books. Several major music distributors, such as Sony-BMG, also have a large distribution of religious music across multiple genres. Distributors will require your business information and an opening order to start.
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Market yourself to the community. Go to local churches and holy sites and give them your information so they can pass it on to their congregations. Advertise online and in any local religious publications, such as a Christian or Jewish newspaper.
Use coupons or a grand opening celebration to help bring in traffic, if your budget allows. The important thing is to get your name and location out to those in the community.
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Tips & Warnings
Most small businesses fail in the first five years.
References
- Photo Credit oldbooks01 image by cilin from Fotolia.com
