Dove Award-winning group Big Daddy Weave is celebrating its third consecutive No. 1 hit with “The Only Name (Yours Will Be).” It is the first No. 1 single of the year on the National Christian Audience and AC Monitored charts.

This marks the second straight year the band has scored the first AC Monitored No. 1 of the year, with the song “Redeemed,” holding the top spot for the first chart in January 2013.

Christian Small Publishers Association (CSPA) celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. The organization was formed to represent, strengthen and promote small publishers in the Christian marketplace.

When CSPA was founded in January 2004, independent publishing was just beginning to take off. During the past 10 years, CSPA has grown from its humble origins of three founding members to serving more than 100 small publishers and independently published authors.

In a move driven by long-term sales strategies at the corporate and field levels, Harvest House Publishers announced Monday that it has begun a new partnership with Genesis Marketing Group for sales representation services to the independent Christian retail market. The change to Genesis was complete as of November 2013, but begins in earnest this month.

Genesis Marketing Group, based in Greenville, SC, has more than 30 years of industry experience. The company was responsible for sales to more than 1,000 independent book and gift stores across the country in 2012. Genesis also represents other vendors such as Howard Books, Gospel Light and Gregg Gift Company.

The Baker Book House Company is celebrating its diamond anniversary of 75 years as a family-owned business. The company, which now encompasses the Baker Book House retail store and the Baker Publishing Group, has seen significant expansion and growth since its founding by Herman Baker.

In August 1939, Baker opened a small retail bookstore on Wealthy Street in Grand Rapids, Michigan. One year later, he ventured into publishing and released More Than Conquerors by Dr. William Hendriksen. Today, Baker Book House is a thriving retail store and Baker Publishing Group is one of the top three Christian publishers in the country.

Christian retailers convened Wednesday, Jan. 8, for the first CPE at AmericasMart held in conjunction with the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market. The one-day event hosted by Munce Group, the Florida-based retail marketing group, helped to make navigating the gift show easier for Christian retailers and brought in non-gift vendors as well to make time away from the store more productive.

Kirk Blank, president of Munce Group, said that vendor spaces were sold out with 28 of them setting up shop. Exhibitors attending CPE included Abingdon Press/Common English Bible, Anchor Distributors/Whitaker House, Art & Soul Works/Gifts That Give Back, Barbour Publishing, Bob Siemon Designs, Bookstore Manager, Bridgestone Multimedia Group, Charisma Media, Christian Art Gifts, Crossway, DaySpring, FaithWords, HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Kerusso, New Day Christian Distributors, New Leaf Publishing Group, Rose Publishing, Send the Light Distribution, Swanson Christian Products and WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

The 2014 Christian Retailing’s Best Awards program is now open for business. Vendors who wish to nominate gift products may submit their 2013 and backlist products for the 2014 awards during the Jan. 6-Feb. 24 nomination period.

Gift companies have the option of submitting in a dozen gift-related categories this year, including jewelry, wall décor, wedding and seasonal/holiday.

Divinity Boutique is aiming to create a greater social impact on the world through its products.

“Divinity is becoming a more socially aware company,” said Keith Schwartz, president of Divinity Boutique. “We are starting to change our entire business model so that everything we do as a company creates a social impact on the world.”