Christian Bookstores Find Stability in Turbulent Market

Selling books has never been as hard as it is now.

Large bookstore chains have closed shop and an increasing number of independent stores have either failed in the current economy or are struggling to survive.

The book trade is also changing in the digital age, placing more stores in peril. Demand for physical books is expected to continuously decline through 2014, according to IHS iSuppli, a market research company. 

Despite this reality, some specialized Christian bookstores in South Gate have managed to maintain a stable financial footing.

“It has been pretty constant,” said Gerardo Vega, co-owner of the 8-year-old Libreria Cristiana El Alfarero. “Economically, our business has always gone up or down a little bit.”

This stability is apparently not uncommon among such religiously focused shops. A newer Christian bookshop founded one year ago in South Gate also reported a steady business.

“I do not have large profits and I do not have a deficit,” said Estelita Villegas, owner of , a Catholic bookstore. “We have been received quite well.”

Unique strategies to entice customers have been part of the reason for the relative stability of the niche book businesses. For Villegas, getting out and encountering new customers has been a successful approach.

“I have decentralized [my bookstore],” said Villegas, who is also a professional singer of Catholic hymns and regularly tours churches throughout California. “After my [musical presentations]…I let people know that they can come and visit my bookstore.”

At El Alfarero, customer service is among the main factors why the business has stayed level during these tumultuous times. Loyal clients make up the majority of the store's business and customers can be confident that El Alfarero will procure or have the Christian literature that they are looking for.

“Clients will go to other stores and they will tell them that they don’t have [what they are looking for],” said Maricela Vega, who co-owns El Alfarero with her husband, Gerardo. “We have always tried to keep the customer happy and let them know that we will find what they need.”

has resulted in a loss for the shop. But it has led on occasion to repeat business, which provides revenue to keep the store afloat.

“Sometimes we will end up spending more on gas to bringing it,” said Gerardo Vega. “But it has benefited us because people know that if they do not have it we will find it.”

Gloria Zamudio, 38, a longtime client of El Alfarero confirms that customer service is among the many reasons she returns to the store.

“I like their service,” said Zamudio. “I also like the way they do not just do this for the sake of a business but for the love of the Lord.”

Comments like these make the Vegas very happy. They say they carry on their business more for their faith and the spiritual message they help deliver than for mere profit.

“In the spiritual sense, we have always had success,” said Gerardo Vega.