Pathway to Open New Store Concept in Cleveland
Cleveland, TN–The former Pathway Bookstore is introducing a new concept in retail and will open a new store in a different location on August 29. A soft opening and community preview was held this week for the newly-reinvented Pathway.
The concept has been in the planning stages for over a year and comes after many “dream sessions” and conversations about where bookstores and retail in general is headed.
“The average person only reads five books per year, yet at any given moment there are more than 500,000 Christian books on the market,” stated Clark Campbell, a visionary for the new store. “King Solomon probably expressed it best when he warned his son: ‘There is no end to the making of many books, and much study is exhausting to the body’ (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Even if you are well-above average and read 20 books a year, the question remains: How do you choose which books to read in such an endless sea of choices? It’s no wonder that so many believers have given up on reading books.”
Church of God leaders Gary Lewis, far left, Terry Hart, center, and M. Thomas Propes, right, were among hundreds who visited the new Pathway this week.
To tackle this dilemma, a small team of dreamers at Pathway started wondering, “What if we asked spiritual leaders—whose names we already know and trust—to identify the one, two, three—or even 10—books that he/she believes are the most important books for every believer to read (in addition to the Bible, of course)? And then, what if we created a model so that every person who walks into Pathway or logs on to our website can see the books which are most highly recommended by these pastors and leaders?”
“Pathway wants to be known for providing resources that our Church of God family members (and the entire Body of Christ) can trust to be the very best,” stated Terry Hart, general director of publications at Pathway Press. “The most helpful resources on the market. Not the most. The best.”
The new store concept doesn’t stop there. Planners decided that every gift offered in the store would be unique—gifts with a story.
“Every single gift purchased will be more than a trinket,” Campbell stated. “It will be a hand-crafted, artisan-oriented gift by those who are being rescued from slavery, trafficking, and so much more. Your purchase will help to fund and advance those ministries.”
Other features of the new store include a designated small group gathering area and a BonLife Coffee service.
“This is not just a remodeled version of a bookstore,” Campbell concluded. “The new Pathway has been completely reimagined, from top to bottom, in order to not only better serve the body of Christ, but to help advance the Kingdom of God. We hope that you will come see for yourself why Pathway is specializing in ‘Resources You Can Trust.’”
