Considered pioneers of Southern gospel, the quartet was formed in 1934 with brothers Roy, Doyle and James Blackwood as well as Roy's son, R.W. In 2002, James Blackwood died, but his son Jimmy (James Jr.) continued the group. Along with Jimmy, the quartet today consists of Wayne Little, Randy Byrd and Brad White.

CID began distributing Spanish- and Portuguese-language products to Christian retailers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico last month, while maintaining separate operations for all other markets, company officials said.

The Loveland, Colo-based film company received Communicator Awards of Excellence for Friends for Life (Films/Video-Entertainment) and the TV special/documentary Unlocking the Secret (Film/Video-Religion/Spirituality).

Honored with the Young Store Award were Dan and Carolyn Bielak, owners of Lemstone Parable Christian Store in Grand Blanc, Mich. Since opening their store in late 2006, Carolyn has guided the shop to significant sales growth each year, Parable officials said.

Mark Schoepke, owner of Parable Christian Store in Springfield, Ore., was recognized with the Sales Growth Award, as his shop has had sustained strong growth in the last 17 months. In addition to Schoepke's two Parable franchise stores, he operates seven outlet stores in western Oregon.

Recognized in the small store category for Store of the Year were Richard and Deborah Cretaro, owners of The Living Word Parable Christian Store in Latham, N.Y.

Arrowhead Parable Christian Store in Johnson City, N.Y., was honored with the Store of the Year Award in the large store category. Parable Franchise Coach Steve Adams said Arrowhead "has continually been a strong representative of excellence in retailing for many years.

"This past year in particular, they have excelled in merchandising, inventory management and community relationships," he added. "They also hosted four Parable franchise stores in the Upper New York area for a day-long conference that benefited and encouraged all of them."

The 18-outlet business that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in June has been bought by Joseph and Deanna Gimelli, former owners of a northern California winery. The sale for almost $2 million was finalized at the weekend, Bill Simmons-who continues as president and CEO-said today.

The Cincinnati-based chain-bought in 2006 from Standex International by a private equity firm-had debts totaling almost $6.5 million when it began Chapter 11 proceedings. The Gimellis' bid prevailed at an auction over offers from three liquidators.

Announcing "It's a New Day" to Berean customers in an e-mail message, management said that difficult circumstances and the economy "have been tough on Berean this past year." As a result, "our ability to effectively stock our stores and serve our customers was impacted. ... " But with the sale to "a compassionate Christian family, Berean will again be able to fully provide the assortment of products and level of service you expect."

Simmons said that the Gimellis had first expressed interest in Berean almost two years ago, as regular customers of the chain's outlet in San Jose, Calif. "They see themselves as stewards; they are reluctant to refer to themselves as owners," said Simmons, who added that the Gimellis "believe in the mission and ministry of the business."

New low-cost versions of the NIV Bible and New Testaments are being made available to trade customers through Biblica through an agreement with Zondervan. The complete Bible will retail for $3.99, the New Testament for $1.50.

"We're thrilled with this new arrangement, which allows us to offer our NIV ministry-priced Scripture products through retailers for the first time," said Mike Dworak, Biblica marketing director. "This agreement enables us to serve Christian retailers in their mission to connect with local churches and share God's Word with their community."

The products will feature a four-color cover, two-column format, a Bible reading plan, and an abridged concordance and dictionary. They will be available through STL Distribution North America as well as Spring Arbor, Anchor Distributors and other wholesalers.

Sponsored by Christian Retailing magazine, the 2009 Retailers Choice Awards saw authors including Francis Chan and Karen Kingsbury and companies such as Thomas Nelson, Zondervan and Carpentree taking home trophies this year.

Media coverage for the awards ranged from Yahoo! Finance to Bible.com and even a Chinese news agency, along with winning suppliers announcing their own awards, increasing awareness of the awards and the products that won. Retailers chose the winners from among more than 250 products nominated by suppliers in 30 categories.

Nominated products were judged on the impact they had on staff and customers, including their ability to speak to hearts and evoke emotion, open minds to new ways of thinking, and encourage and affirm Christlike living.

The winning products were announced during the International Christian Retail Show in Denver.

For a printable list of the products that Christian retailers picked to win, visit www.retailerschoiceawards.com. For more information, contact Managing Editor Christine Johnson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..