Inspiration comes in many forms.
For shopper Jo Turner, it means buying gifts with a bit more spiritual meaning and a stop at Gospel Supplies, 5611 E. Speedway, a 59-year-old Midtown store specializing in Christian books and gifts.
"I come here because things here are God-centered. It's inspiring, and I hope that I might be able to find a gift that will inspire others," she said, while browsing through greeting cards.
As locally owned independent bookstores find themselves competing against national chains, so, too, are a trio of Tucson's oldest Christian bookstores.
Recently, owners of the two Gospel Supplies of Tucson stores signed a franchise and marketing deal with Parable Franchising LLC, part of The Parable Group, a San Luis Obispo, Calif.,-based Christian retail company, with 54 locations in the country.
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Under the deal, the Tucson stores will be converted into Parable stores, with access to Parable's "financial coaching sessions" and marketing campaigns, Parable spokesman Gary Weyel said.
Parable franchises are charged a half percent of total annual gross revenues for a "national brand marketing fund," which gives stores money for advertising promotions, Weyel said.
Under the agreement, Winston and Delores Maddox will retain ownership of their two Gospel Supplies stores in Midtown and on the Northwest Side. A name change to combine Parable with Gospel Supplies is scheduled in the next two years.
"But the biggest thing is being part of a brand. By uniting under a common brand, they are better able to compete against chains," Weyel said.
In recent years, national retailers including Barnes & Noble, Borders and Wal-Mart have increased their selections of Christian-themed books, DVDs and CDs.
Winston Maddox, a former chairman of the national Christian Bookseller's Association, now called CBA, said the franchise deal gives the Tucson stores a better competitive advantage.
Gospel Supplies now has access to a line of Parable-branded products, which include books and partnerships, he said. Parable also has partnerships with national film distributors, including Twentieth Century Fox, which markets family friendly and faith-based films.
Parable is "putting a commercial face on retail," he said. "It's combining the advantages of a chain with the advantages of local ownership."
Around the country, more Christian independent stores are closing, with about five locally owned stores closing during the past five to 10 years, said Shelbie Hurtienne, Gospel's buyer and daughter of the Maddoxes.
"This deal makes us part of a larger team," he said. "We want a place for Christ on Main Street."
According to CBA figures, sales of Christian retail products reached $4.34 billion last year.
About $2.4 billion of that total was sold through independent Christian retailers, with $1.1 billion sold through general retail, and $725 million sold direct-to-consumer and through ministry sales channels, according to the CBA.
Driving some of those revenues are new products geared toward youth, such as Bibles written for teenagers and college students, Hurtienne said.
At Trinity Bookstore, 3801 E. Fort Lowell Road, products that also sell well at the 20-year-old shop include a new line of products for military personnel.
"With the war in Iraq, we've noted more sales for military Bibles and patron-saint medals," said Donna Scott, owner of Trinity. Events such as the film release of the "The DaVinci Code," can spur sales and interest for books, Scott said.
The shop features a line of books countering the fictional novel and film's premise that Mary Magdalene was Jesus' wife, that Jesus had children with Magdalene and that church leaders are hiding the truth.
Other popular products include sales of books examining the "Chronicles of Narnia," which many Christians believe to have strong Christian themes, Scott said.
"We want a place for Christ on Main Street."
Shelbie Hurtienne
Gospel Supplies buyer