Furniture Industry News: ANDMORE is hosting more than 20 buying groups and associations for education, networking and sourcing this summer at its Atlanta Market (July 11-17, 2023, at AmericasMart Atlanta) and Las Vegas Market (July 30-August 3, 2023, at World Market Center Las Vegas).
Inventory shortages, staffing concerns, and ongoing challenges presented by Covid-19 have not slowed the sales of Bibles, books, and gifts, and Christian booksellers are thriving.
A new item at Christian bookstores in 2020 shot straight to the top of the sales charts: face masks with faith messages.
Christian retailers across the country sold masks with the messages “Not Today Satan” and “This too shall pass,” as well as “Faith Over Fear,” “Blessed Beyond Belief,” and “It is well with my soul,” as stores found creative ways to continue business in a pandemic.
Two new industry surveys show that Christian retail was hard hit by COVID-19 and the subsequent safety restrictions, but store owners persisted with stubborn optimism. The Parable Group’s 2021 State of Christian Retailing report found more than half of store owners are concerned about cash flow, but 87 percent predict a “healthy” or “steady” future up 12 points from 2019.