Saturday, October 24, 1998

Bible Book Store has changed over the years

By LORETTA FULTON

Senior Staff Writer

Back in 1948 the brand new Bible Book Store was just that.

It carried Bibles -- specifically the King James version -- and little else. Even the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, a mainstay today, wasn't on the scene yet.

"That came after we had been in business a few years," said Bernard Smith, who with his wife, Becky, and Joe Temple opened the store in October 1948 at the location of the present day Abilene Bible Church, 733 Butternut.

Since 1956 the store has been at its present location, 610 Butternut and has been owned since 1980 by Donna and Dan Harwell.

Today the store is hosting a 50th anniversary reception from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Honored guests from 2-3 p.m. will be the Smiths and Dr. Tim Temple, son of Joe Temple, and his wife.

When the store opened in 1948 it was only the second in town that carried Bibles and religious materials exclusively. Abilene Educational Supply was in business near Abilene Christian University, and still is, but that was long before Christian stores became hot property.

Today such stores dot the landscape nationwide and have dropped the word "book" from their name, reflecting a wider variety of products.

"Now the emphasis is so heavy on Christian music and Christian gifts and even some apparel," Smith said.

Donna Harwell has seen her business take off within the past few years as the popularity of Christian music, books, art, and gifts has skyrocketed.

"We've done real well," Harwell said.

One of the major changes Harwell has seen since buying the store in 1980 is the number of Bible translations on the market. Now, sitting alongside the King James Version, is a version for everyone from teens to couples.

And a Bible is no longer just a collection of Scriptures as it once was.

"Now we have study Bibles for all different kinds of occasions," Harwell said, with notes, guidelines and background information.

The rise in popularity of contemporary Christian music has spilled over into other marketing areas such as clothing and gifts. Now you can expect to find almost anything in a Christian bookstore from Bibles to hand lotion with Scriptures printed on the bottle.

The stores also carry T-shirts, videos, "What Would Jesus Do" bracelets, candy with Scripture on the wrapper, and even cake mixes, which are selling like hotcakes at Bible Book Store.

"That's probably one of the most unusual products," Harwell said of the mixes that come in a clay pot for cooking and have Scripture printed on the package.

"They're nicer and fancier than just a cake mix off the shelf," she said.

Off course, marketing Christianity on everything from cake mixes to bracelets can lead to criticism, and Harwell said she has visited stores that she thought had gone overboard on the commercialization.

Harwell said she takes heart in the fact that Bibles are still the mainstay of her store, despite all the other offerings.

"By far Bibles -- that's the main thrust of the store," she said.

Coming in second would be other books, and recently, that has extended to Christian fiction.

"The fiction now is wonderful," Harwell said.

She cited such authors as Brock and Bode Thoene, Francene Rivers, Jan Karon, Janette Oke and Lori Wick as some of the best examples of popular writers of outstanding religious fiction.

While much of the business at Bible Book Store comes from individuals, another good source of income is providing Sunday School curriculum for some churches and Vacation Bible School materials.

"We do standing orders for several churches," Harwell said.

Back when Bernard Smith was running the store, people in Abilene didn't have as many choices about where to go for religious publications as they do now.

"We were the only two at that time," Smith said of his store and Abilene Educational Supply.

Smith, who grew up in Nebraska, got acquainted with Abilene when he was stationed at Camp Barkeley during World War II. After overseas duty, he returned, married and eventually got bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from Hardin-Simmons University.

While running the bookstore, Smith also had a tax preparation and accounting business, which he still does.

In the beginning, Bible Book Store was mainly a place to buy Bibles, with a few gifts and records to choose from.

"It wasn't a substantial part of the business, but we had a few" gifts and records, Smith said. "Now it's a big part of it."

But 50 years later, folks walking into Bible Book Store can rest assured that they can, indeed, find a Bible in Bible Book Store.