Welcome to a new page devoted to helping you find great booksellers, libraries and church libraries in your area! In the coming issues, we will be spotlighting bookstores and libraries that do a great job of helping their patrons find Christian fiction. We’ll also feature photos and news of Christian authors “out in the field.”
Christian bookseller:
BAKER BOOK HOUSE
Grand Rapids, MI
616-957-3110
This [above photo] is the front of our store right now—but we are doing a serious
renovation this year, so it won’t look like this much longer.
For this first column, I’ll start with the store where I work—Baker Book House—which has been in business over 75 years. My job as the fiction buyer is to cater to the fiction readers of the area, which feeds my reading addiction. As I have said for years, the only thing fiction readers like almost as much as reading fiction books is talking about fiction. I get to do both of those activities—and someone pays me to do them!
Baker Book House is known for both new and used books. In fact, we have over 90,000 used books in stock. The used fiction department offers me a chance to help someone find an out-of-print book that could complete a series, or that book they have been searching for a long time.
Church library:
FULTON ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
Mobile, AL
251-471-2525
Fulton Baptist Church started their church library in 2009 with little else than a donation and a desire to share good books with the congregation. Cindy McCord says that because they are a smaller library, they work on the honor system. Readers can check out books any time they wish and bring them back when they are done. “I try to keep a good balance of what the readers like,” Cindy says—even if it isn’t what she would normally read. She also keeps readers up-to-date on the church website.
Cindy encourages other churches to start a library—even if they don’t have much room, or have little or no budget. “Our library is small, but it is a busy and thriving place,” she says. “So don’t hesitate—go ahead and start a library!”
“Here’s a photo with Chad and Julie at Bible Bookstore in Vincennes, Indiana. Terrific people and gracious hosts!”—Denise Hunter, The Accidental Bride: A Big Sky Romance (Thomas Nelson)