Christian retailers seek new niches as they compete with big box stores

Some create a sense of community as they nourish the body and the soul
By BOB SMIETANA • Staff Writer •
April 14, 2008

At the Crave Bookstore and Cafe in Lebanon, you can buy Christian bestsellers like Max Lucado's 3:16 and Velvet Elvis from Rob Bell, sample the latest CD from Third Day, or get just about any English Bible translation under the sun.

And then there are the "cinnamon things."

"It's not a muffin and it's not a roll," said Sandra Lawrence, who works in the store's cafe. "People kept saying, 'give me one of those cinnamon things,' so that's what we named them."
The Crave, which opened in December 2007, is not your ordinary Christian bookstore. Co-owners Mike and Beth Waggoner, along with their partners Sonny and Bridgette Belew, knew that if they just sold books, their store wouldn't have a prayer.

So they decided to try something different, offering sandwiches, salads, coffee, cappuccino cupcakes, along with homemade soups and free Wi-Fi. the rest