Gift leader Aurelio Barreto preaches what he practices in his innovative C28 stores

Forget selection or even product knowledge—when it comes to Christian stores’ real competitive edge, the answer is outreach, says Aurelio Barreto.

“What good is it going to a Christian store if you are not going to get prayed for?” asks the founder of the C28 chain whose edgy style and mall presence has earned secular media attention. “Prayer is powerful,” he said. “That is the competitive edge, prayer and evangelism. You evangelize somebody and you have a customer for life.”

More than 17,000 decisions for Christ have been recorded by C28 staff in the last decade, with new believers being given a free Bible and discipleship materials and being referred to a local church.

The stores’ strong ministry is born out of Barreto’s personal experience. Brought to the U.S. from Cuba by his parents, Barreto became a multimillionaire through a pet products company. But he was still dissatisfied, even contemplating suicide before being led to Christ by the principal of his children’s school.

Matching his newfound faith with his business smarts led to C28. Barreto’s efforts were recognized at the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in Atlanta in July, when Barreto received one of the first Champions of the Faith awards presented to industry leaders by hosts CBA and the Premier Foundation.

In a living example of his conviction, the 52-year-old used his acceptance opportunity to briefly share his personal testimony, then ask all those attending the ceremony to bow their heads in prayer while he invited those who wanted to receive Christ to raise their hands.

Later at ICRS Barreto shared his passion for prayer and evangelism with other retailers in a special workshop, “Fulfilling the Great Commission on the Sales Floor.”

“Tell me one person who cannot benefit from prayer,” Barreto said. “We offer to pray with everyone. People are blown away that we take the time.”

Outreach has been the focus of C28—whose name comes from Col. 2:8—since Barreto opened the first store in Southern California in 2000. It has been followed by more than a dozen—all in malls—though several have closed because of the economy. C28 currently operates in nine locations, two of which are franchises.

As well as serving as missionary outposts, the stores are test beds for Barreto’s Not of This World fashions and other apparel brands that sell widely in Christian and general market stores. 

“It makes you a better supplier,” he said of his stores. Testing new designs in-house first “allows me to go to a retailer with a selection that is fresh and proven.” The retail operations mean that Barreto is closely familiar with the challenges faced by Christian stores.

When C28 began, 25% of sales were for music. The category now accounts for just 4% of revenues. “The kids will come into our stores and will listen to the CD (that is playing) and download it right there,” he said.

Because of their predominantly Southern California location—two stores are in Virginia—where “people are not spending as they were,” C28 stores have been especially hit by the down economy, Barreto said. But he remains committed to his vision. “The economy is too tough to consider expanding right now. We are battening down the hatches and trying to weather the storm.”

He is optimistic, though. “I have been made to go through a few trials, and I have had to really let go because I had no choice, but once I truly let go, I realized that God was faithful and He was the one who supplied all my needs.”

As digital publishing also starts to affect print book sales, Barreto believes that diversifying into gifts is vital for stores. “There will always be a need for books and music—I still carry both,” said the gift industry representative on CBA’s board. But “gifts are the future.”

When not working on new designs for his apparel lines or traveling to share his testimony at business schools and churches, Barreto visits C28 stores weekly to see how they are doing. His greatest satisfaction comes “when people give their life to the Lord,” he said. “When one of the store kids calls me and leaves a message on my voice mail saying, ‘Aurelio, praise God, I just led a 16-year-old to the Lord,’ it’s cool.”

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