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On the Third Day
Established in 1752 , Pottstown , PA , is a semi-rural suburb of Philadelphia known for supplying the steel used to construct the Golden Gate Bridge and for being the home of Mrs . Smith ’ s Pies . But nearly 30 years ago , it also became home to a 2,800-square-foot Christian bookstore located in a strip mall .
The store opened in 1997 by owners Dennis and Edie Eckert and was called The Master ’ s Mercantile . After owning the store for several years , it was time for the Eckerts to retire , but they wanted to keep the store open . That ’ s when Charlene Wiggs entered the picture .
“ I had been interested in some form of Christian retail for several years ,” Charlene says . Then one day , she came across the CBA ( Christian Booksellers Association ) website . The website had information on “ Perspective Retailer Classes ,” which were offered at the ICRS conferences .
After attending the seminars twice , Charlene ’ s husband suggested they find an existing store that might want to retire . As it turned out , there was one three miles from their house . It was Dennis and Edie Eckert ’ s store , and they had already seen Charlene ’ s name on the CBA website as a perspective retailer .
Charlene purchased The Master ’ s Mercantile in 2007 and re-opened as On The Third Day .
50 CRA today / www . christianretailassociation . org