Gospel Books closing Gospel Books closing (April 15, 2005)

A beacon to customers, store could not keep pace with rising rents

Allison Gerard

Tim Tholen's customers saw his store as a place to seek comfort. Now that it has closed, they will have to turn elsewhere.

Twenty-six years after opening the only Christian bookstore in the area, Tholen shut the doors at Gospel Books and Music earlier this month.

"The store was a lighthouse and a resource for families and people who are hurting or seeking meaning in their life," said Kay Morrill, a long-time patron of the San Antonio Shopping Center bookstore. "It was more than a store, it reflected the love of Christ."

Tholen said he originally opened the store with the intent to reach out to Christians and non-Christians alike, and to serve the local churches.

But with the growing popularity of online book retailers, independent bookstores are becoming a dying breed, especially those stores that appeal to a specific niche market.

Despite the effect the closing will have on his customers, Tholen said this was the right time to move on. There was still another year left on his lease with the San Antonio Shopping Center, but due to the high rent and low sales he decided to close now.

Tholen attributed the decline in sales to the economic slowdown and the increasing popularity of online bookstores like Amazon.com. Although the decision was difficult because of the major part the store has played in his life, he said knowing the Lord was leading him out made it easier.

Now that the store is closed, Tholen plans to be involved in short-term mission work, which starts with a three-month training session in Hawaii.

Although Tholen and his customers are saddened by the store's closing, Mike Couch, the manager of the San Antonio Shopping Center, said he was not surprised to see them go.

As one of the original tenants in the shopping center the store had a "favorable" lease Couch said, and he envisioned a year from now they would not be able to afford the higher rent.

Like Tholen, Couch thinks a lot of the shop's business was lost to Amazon.

"When they first opened they did bring something to the center, but business has dried up, and there is a need for something more contemporary, which can pay the higher rent," Couch said.

As for what will replace Gospel Books, Couch is unsure. He said the earliest a new business could open in the location would be this summer.
E-mail Allison Gerard at agerard@mv-voice.com.

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