On Saturday, I attended the grand opening of a Christian bookstore about fifteen minutes from my house.
To say the store was crowded is an understatement. There were people everywhere – not a bad feat when you consider that Faith Family Books and Gifts is a 12,000 square foot store. 
There was a ribbon-cutting, Jamaican patties and cake being given out, authors signing, musicians playing, people sitting talking at the small cafe and couches in one corner. But mostly there were people looking at and buying books.
The store had a soft-opening a month ago and according to Larry Willard, one of the three owners, has been very busy ever since.
The opening reminded me of an article I wrote for ChristianWeek last fall that I have been meaning to post here. I was asked to write it after posting a number of blogs here whether or not Christian bookstores are still needed. Ironically, I posted the blogs a week or so before R. G. Mitchell Family Books, the largest Christian book distributor in Canada and the owner of a chain of Christian bookstores in Ontario, declared bankruptcy. No, I didn't know that was going to happen. Mitchell's was distributing Hot Apple Cider, so we were never paid for the 1200 books they had sent out.
You can find my blogs here, including one that talks about my experiences when my first book was published back in 1991.
Read the article I wrote for Christian Week in the fall of 2008.
What's the Future of Canadian Christian Publishing?
Tags: Faith Family Gifts and Books, Larry Willard, new bookstore opens, new Christian bookstore