“ I wanted a name that had profound meaning ,” Charlene explains . “ If people don ’ t know what it means , it ’ s a great way to tell them about the most important day in history and what it means for them and all of us : On The Third Day He Rose Again !”
As a tribute to the original owners , Charlene has kept The Master ’ s Mercantile as part of the logo , listed smaller below the current store name .
When people come into her store , it ’ s a delight for all the senses . Customers can see and touch beautiful products . And often they comment on how wonderful the store smells . Charlene says they get the feeling of being loved and cared for .
Charlene shares , “ I hope that the store is a place to come and leave the world outside and feel the love of Christ within our four walls .”
Since becoming a Christian retailer , Charlene says she has had to learn how to find the balance between being a loving ministry that cares deeply for the community and her customers and being a thriving , self-supporting , profitable business .
“ I love making the day-to-day decisions that will make the business strong so that the ministry can continue to grow ,” she shares .
Some of those decisions include navigating the changes in technology that have affected retail . Charlene says online shopping has influenced customers ’ expectations regarding cost and availability . There has also been a shift in what product sells . Charlene says that music and DVDs are very slow , and they can ’ t carry some VBS kits . With companies moving to automated ordering , relationships with the larger vendors have also become challenging for small stores that have no sales representation .
But even during the greatest challenges , Charlene has seen God at work . “ During the COVID shutdown , God showed me that as I stayed in prayer with Him and focused on doing all for Him , He is a great business partner ,” she recalls . “ He repeatedly asked me to trust Him as I went about my tasks , and at the end of it , I was able to pay off all the bills in an unbelievably short time .”
Due to staffing changes in the past year , the store is closed on Mondays , but sales have still been up . Often , Charlene goes in on Mondays to do bookwork , and if any customers come because they forgot about the change , she lets them in .
Besides Charlene , the store currently has one other fulltime employee , Heidi , plus one part-time employee and two associates who are willing to fill in as needed . “ We have been extremely fortunate regarding keeping employees ,” Charlene says . Two of her employees have been with her for 13 years , one on and off since the beginning . And her newest employee was a customer for more than 10 years before joining the staff .
Charlene says all of the staff goes to different churches that are of different denominations . “ We model how it is possible to have Christ in common but not have to agree on all doctrine ,” she explains . “ We have learned from each other , and it is refreshing !”
As a team , they work to serve the customers , helping them find just what they need and making a personal connection with each one .
“ I really enjoy the relationships I have with both my customers and my employees ,” Charlene says . “ We pray for our customers , and they pray for us . It feels like family .”
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