Tom and Joanne Peters of Catholic Books and Gifts
Catholic Books and Gifts will have its grand reopening on March 19 and 20 at its new location in Fountain Valley.
The former Huntington Beach mainstay for over 16 years has provided Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties with religious products as bibles, rosaries and other sacramentals. With their expansion onto the internet with catholicfreeshipping.com, the family-owned business began serving customers worldwide, gradually making them one of the nation’s leading retailers in Catholic merchandise. This prompted Tom and Joanne Peters, who have owned and operated the 950 square foot original storefront since 1994, to acquire the 2,000 square foot vacancy less than two miles from where they started.
“People pray more when times are hard,” said Joanne, attributing the recent boom in business to the economic recession, though stresses their success did not happen overnight.
Before the store, Tom supported their 12 children with a donut shop; Joanne ran a daycare. When a proposal came to take over the preexisting bookstore, the Peters’ took the risk. As a practical Catholic family, they saw this as a chance to serve their community—and to indulge in their pastime: “While raising our children, I was always looking for time to read,” Joanne recalls. “Owning a bookstore would make my dream come true.”
But a limited start-up inventory and a lack of local interest made their first few years challenging. “There were days when no one would come into the store,” said Tom, whose donut shop remained the family’s primary source of income. “We did a lot of praying then.”
Tom and Joanne cite the turning point at the distribution of The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which ignited a worldwide resurgence of interest in Catholicism. A new generation of apologetic authors was being published alongside reissues of older titles. More people came to the store, and with the addition of their website, they began to attract customers outside their local community. In time, Tom was able to part with the donut shop and rely entirely on Catholic Books and Gifts.
The 2005 death of Pope John Paul II also brought more people looking for texts on or by the late pontiff. Of recent, Joanne reported record sales in rosaries: “People who have lost their jobs or their homes are going to the rosary for spiritual guidance.”
The larger space will give the Peters’ an opportunity to expand their inventory. New and returning customers can look forward to more Baptism and First Communion gifts, additional titles in bibles, apologetics and books in Spanish, and an added variety in their collection of religious icons, Catholic music and DVDs.
The grand reopening weekend will take place at 9049 Garfield Ave., Fountain Valley, Calif., 92708, during the usual store hours of 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. All are welcome and refreshments will be served.
About Catholic Books and Gifts:
For over 16 years, Catholic Books and Gifts has served Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties. Their wide selection of books cover many titles under apologetics, Church history, catechisms, saint biographies, children and young adult, and an assortment of bibles to suit the needs of every reader. Sacramentals as rosaries, crucifixes, patron saint and miraculous medals, scapulars and statues make great gifts for Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations, Weddings and other special occasions. Stop by their store at 9049 Garfield Ave., Fountain Valley, Calif., from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, or take advantage of the fast and free shipping at http://www.catholicfreeshipping.com.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
