RICHMOND —
(Editor’s Note: This story is the second in a series about business changes in downtown Richmond.)
The Miracle Book Room, a Christian bookstore in the 200 block of E. Main Street, plans to close around the end of February.
“God calls us through the seasons, and this is the season for us to close,” said Tom Mayfield, whose mother-in-law Margaret Howard opened the store 44 years ago.
Mrs. Howard, 91, has not been actively involved in the store for a number of years, leaving operation to her daughter, Kaye Mayfield, and her husband.
“God has been telling us for a few years that we need to go on to something else,” Tom Mayfield said Thursday, “and now is the time.”
Technology has changed how books and recorded music are sold, putting many independent and even some chain stores out of business, he noted.
Two bookstore chains, Borders and Walden Books, have gone out of business in recent years, and Lexington’s largest bookstore, JosephBeth, was sold at auction.
Books and periodicals, including Bibles, increasingly are being read on e-readers such as Kindles and Nooks or other digital devices, even smart phones, Mayfield said.
“At church, I see people pulling our their phones when it comes time to read the scripture,” he said. “Not only can they read the text, they can access different translations at one time.”
The same can be said for music, with many people, especially the young, listening on MP3 players such as the iPod.
Even those who still purchase music CDs or traditional books increasingly do so through online retailers, Mayfield also noted.
As secular bookstores and chains succumbed to changing technology in recent years, Christian booksellers with their specialty items and loyal custom base fared better. But, Miracle Book Room’s experience seems to show changing trends have begun to affect them as well.
“We’ve appreciate the many people and churches who have been loyal customers over the years,” Mayfield said.
Some of them were shopping Thursday, taking advantage of the 30- to 70-percent discounts the store is offering.
Teddi Williams of Berea said she was saddened to hear Miracle Book Room was closing.
“This has been a wonderful place to buy things,” she said, “books, Bibles, toys” and other items. “They’ve always been so gracious.”
Williams said she had bought many children’s books at the store.
“You can’t read too much to your children,” she said.
“Have a blessed afternoon,” Mayfield said to Williams as she completed her purchases and headed for the door.
Another shopper, Robin Mason of Berea, called Miracle Book Room a “small, family-owned business with great Christian service and products that represents the best of our community.”
Among the items Mason and her daughter Alison had brought to the check out counter was a stack of spiritually themed neckties for her husband and son.
When the Miracle Book Room opened in the late-1960s, it faced First Street from underneath Collins’ Drug Store at the corner of Main and First streets, Mayfield said. The location is now a parking lot for Chase Bank.
The store then moved down Main Street to its present location.
Until about seven years ago, the store had no sign on its awning, only on its doors and windows. Still, the customers came, drawn by its products.
Mayfield said he and his wife were unsure of what they will do after the inventory is sold and the store is closed.
“God will show us the path he wants us to take,” he said with a serene confidence.
Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.
Local News
Related Photos
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Robin Mason and daughter Alison shop Thursday at The Miracle Book Room in downtown Richmond. The Christian bookstore, which opened 44 years ago, will close around the end of February. Nancy Taggart
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Tom Mayfield, whose mother-in-law opened The Miracle Book Room, a Christian bookstore in downtown Richmond 44 years ago, wraps a customer's purchase Thursday. "God calls us through the seasons, and this is the season for us to close," Mayfield said of the store's planned February closing. Nancy Taggart
Miracle Book Room closing
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