for 23 FEB 06: GONE, THE SEED
Big stores such as Wal-Mart are tough to compete against. They can sell all the Christian items they wish - yet they still can make smaller religious store owners feel like the David and Goliath story was a hoax.
BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Your blog confirmed Wednesday night that the only locally-owned Christian store in Columbus is going out of business. Mustard Seed on Sidney Simons Boulevard began a liquidation sale this week -- but keep in mind, they aren't "freely giving." Items are only 25 percent off.
Mustard Seed has been open in Columbus for 35 years. A big sign just inside the front door admits it no longer can afford to have such a large store -- yet it's closing, instead of downsizing. So much for those Christian weight loss plans....
The sign inside Mustard Seed gives several reasons for the decision to close, all relating to competition:
+ Music web sites such as iTunes. Listeners only want to buy one or two cuts from an album -- which may show how much attention deficit disorder has spread.
+ Mainstream bookstores such as Barnes and Noble selling Christian books. Couldn't Mustard Seed get a license to open a coffee shop?
+ Megastores such as Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. You can buy not only holy Christian books, but hole-y doughnuts.
There's one store which Mustard Seed's sign does NOT mention -- the one which stands to be the big winner from this closing. It's Nashville-based LifeWay, at Columbus Park Crossing. But it's practically next door to Barnes and Noble, so how is IT still open?
If there's a big loser in Mustard Seed's closing, it's local Christian music. I know from personal experience. That store stocked music by Columbus artists -- while LifeWay makes it so difficult that the "camel in the eye of a needle" story comes to mind.
Only a few years ago, Mustard Seed was doing so well that it had a branch store inside Cascade Hills Church. But that relationship didn't last, and now Cascade Hills has a "resource center" which only sells Pastor Bill Purvis's sermons and CD's. If you need a Bible to follow along, too bad....
A few locally-owned Christian stores are still open outside Columbus. There are small shops in Pine Mountain and Hamilton, and The Covenant in Phenix City -- which actually moved its location to be down the street from a Wal-Mart SuperCenter. Maybe its owner and Mustard Seed's are different denominations.
It's sad to see Mustard Seed go, and a bit concerning to see the way it happened. Christianity is depicted by a fish symbol - but the fish can be part of a food chain which leaves nothing but giant whales.
COMING FRIDAY: I'm driving to Valdosta to announce something, so I might as well tell you too....
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