2024: A Year in Review at Catholic Gifts & Books
2024 was quite an interesting year here at Catholic Gifts and Books. On June 1, 2024, my family officially took over ownership of this great store, thus continuing the 18 year tradition of keeping Catholic Gifts and Books as a staple in the St. Louis Catholic community. Since taking over, we have bolstered our book collection, adding a variety of books ranging from more recent authors, such as G.K. Chesterton, Brant Pitre, Peter Kreeft, and C.S. Lewis, to many timeless classics by the medieval saints. We have also added a new product line: Mystic Monk Coffee. Made and sold by Carmelite monks in Wyoming, this excellent coffee comes in many different flavors and varieties, and has proved to be one of our best selling items. This coffee is perfect for the everyday coffee connoisseur, and also makes for a great gift to a friend or loved one.
Though we have desired to add some additional product lines and continue to expand the store, we have also had some setbacks. Such is the life as small business owners, I suppose. Unfortunately, when we took over, the P.O.S. was quite outdated, so outdated, in fact, that we could not redirect the store’s revenue into our own bank account. We developed a quick and cost effective, but temporary, solution, and essentially had two P.O.S. systems for a while: one to keep track of inventory, and the other to collect payment. It did the trick, but golly it sure was a headache. Then, one day, the old P.O.S. system officially died. R.I.P., of course. So, a few weeks later, we purchased a brand new P.O.S. system; not only does it keep track of inventory, but it deposits our revenue into the correct bank account. What a luxury!
In the midst of our P.O.S. problems, we experienced a health setback in our family, thereby sidelining my dad, the store’s main purveyor. As a result, we had to cut back the store’s hours, limiting it from six days, to just three days a week. God is good, however, and my dad’s health gradually improved, and within a couple of months, it was business as usual. Deo gratias!
In spite of all the ups and downs, November and December proved to be busy months, as Advent and then Christmas fast approached. Advent candles and wreathes flew off the shelves at an alarming, though encouraging, rate! We will not find ourselves running low on those next year, I assure you. In December, we hosted our first book signing, with my friend, and great local author, Tracy Duchinsky, who recently published a book called “Mary On The Hill” which highlights the history and role of Mary statues in St. Louis’s great Italian neighborhood. The book signing was a success, and the store will continue to sell Tracy’s book for the foreseeable future. Coming off the high of the Advent season, we closed for a few days around Christmas, and then re-opened for a few days to wind down the year. The last item sold in 2024 was an Action Bible for Kids, a favorite of many to evangelize the youths.
Another great development in 2024, and I would be remiss to not include it, is our new website, made by my dear wife. We hope this website is clear, easy to navigate, and enables those all over the country to order from us.
As 2025 gets under way, we thank God for the blessing of this store, we thank Him for our great customers, and we pray that He continues to watch over the store and bless it for many years to come. It has been a true joy to get to know many of our regulars, and we look forward to getting to know more and more of you in the weeks and months ahead. May God bless you and your families and may He bring you peace and joy in this New Year.
Liam
01/18/2025
