We Are Right There

The Revealer pointed out this article on the Religious News Service about the state of Christian retailers and the CBA (Christian Booksellers Alliance). What struck me about the piece was how the problems and concerns were ones faced by the modern pagan community and by many small subcultures economies.

“And with consumer interest in religious products at an all-time high — witness the staggering success of the film “The Passion of the Christ” and the apocalyptic book series “Left Behind” — huge global corporations have muscled their way into a historically mom-and-pop Christian retail industry, offering best-selling Christian products at slashed prices…According to the CBA, 271 Christian stores closed last year. About 21 were members of the CBA, an international trade association of about 2,407 member retail stores.”

and

“Anderson devotes significant energy to convincing members that the new competition is healthy and stems from passionate consumer interest in their products. The key to survival, he said, is not to compete directly with major discount retailers, but to build up and promote what Christian retailers have always offered best: deep inventory, knowledgeable and attentive staff, and a welcoming spiritual haven.“

Both of these statements could have been about the occult/pagan book market and about the small network of occult/pagan owned and operated stores. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but large chains especially Barnes and Noble have expanded their Wiccan and Pagan selections recently and an informal look tells me that occult and pagan stores close (or barely remain open) a lot more often than they open.

Like the Christian groups there are mixed feelings about all this attention. On one level we are gaining recognition and acceptance at a rate we have never experienced in our history, but on the same token our small insular economy can’t stand up to a Borders or Barnes and Noble when in comes to stock and prices.

Sometimes these stores are the only physical touchstone for a community, especially if the community isn’t active in throwing regular public meetings and open rituals. Do we harm our own community when we pass a local-owned option up in exchange for the cheap and convenient “Big-Box” store?

What is the answer? Well, the Christian groups feel it’s a matter of business acumen.

“At a Monday workshop, about 60 retailers gathered to hear consultant Jim Dion’s sobering discussion about their competition.”Ministry has to take a back seat to business acumen if success is going to happen,” he said bluntly. Dion, president of retail consulting firm Dionco of Chicago, advised retailers to gather their staff together and rehearse their answer to a pivotal and recurring customer question: “Why is this book five dollars more here than at Wal-Mart?” The answer, he suggested, might start like this: “It really should be 10 bucks higher.” Staff must be ready to explain the cost of a wide inventory and an expert staff — and to mention the store’s low profit margins. Most customers, he said, are satisfied with careful explanations.”

You could turn the phrase “ministry has to take a back seat to business acumen” into “Being a pagan spiritual center has to take a back seat to business acumen” and you might have a start. But does that weaken the point of these shops? The questions remain unanswered for now.

Tags: Neopaganism