A number of Christian retail stores reported strong sales for the Christmas 2015 season.

Harold Herring, owner of The Christian Soldier in Goldsboro, North Carolina, reported that his Covenant Group store was “truly blessed.” Sales were “up 13 percent over last year.”

Family Christian’s bankruptcy case was the most-read Christian Retailing online article of 2015. Many big stories developed last year, complete with store openings and closings, scandals and leadership changes.

Following are the top 10 Christian Retailing stories of the year:

1. Family Christian Stores: the rest of the story. Steve Laube, president of The Steve Laube Agency, explained and analyzed the then-breaking Family Christian bankruptcy story.

Missio Alliance has released its Top 10 Essential Reading List of 2015, including five InterVarsity Press (IVP) titles. The Missio Alliance editors selected the books based on two criteria: They excel in championing the intersection of theological reflection and ministry practice, and they offer a needed and irenic exploration of a crucial issue facing the church in North America.

The editors wrote: “If you’re looking for books that seek to advance a theologically robust, diverse and hopeful vision for evangelical witness amid the challenges and opportunities facing the North American church in the 21st century, we think these should be at the top of your list!”

Hendrickson Publishers has launched a brand-new website focused on Bibles and Bible-related products. The hendrickson.bible site is designed to help readers determine their options and make the right choices when purchasing a new Bible.

The new website is part of the .BIBLE Pioneer Partners Program from the American Bible Society (ABS). The .BIBLE Pioneer Partners Program is an early access program created to raise awareness for the new .BIBLE domain, which will have a public launch in March.

Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson) and Joel Osteen’s The Power of I Am (FaithWords) placed at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, on Christian Retailing’s exclusive Nielsen BookScan list reflecting December sales. The top spots, however, belonged to general-market Christmas titles. Besides Young, Osteen and Priscilla Shirer's Fervent (B&H Books), all of the top 15 books were Christmas-themed.

The Catholic Marketing Network (CMN) will be holding its 2016 International Trade Show July 26-29, with the show returning to Chicago.

The show will take place at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center and Hotel, just 12 miles from Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Attendees staying at the hotel can walk to all events.

Karla Ohner, a former investigator with the Illinois State Police, sensed that God was guiding her to open a Catholic retail store last year. As a result, she and her husband, Jeff, opened Two Hearts Catholic Gifts & Books in Mokena, Illinois, in March.

Opening the store was the realization of a decades-long dream that started when Ohner’s son, Brian Kraemer, now 24, attended an independently run Catholic school.