Many Christian bookstores fear that they may be in danger of losing the next generation of consumers—and those to follow—to the Internet and general market bookstore chains.

But twentysomethings do still shop at Christian retail stores—and prefer them rather than other channels in some instances.

“If I want something specific, then I may go to a Christian bookstore because I know I’ll have a better chance of finding many products by different Christian authors at a Christian bookstore,” Sarah Stegall, a 22-year-old from Fort Meade, Fla., said during a consumer roundtable discussion with Christian Retailing.

Though an Internet shopper, Faith Lawrence, aged 23, from Ashburn, Va., said that she would turn to a Christian store for seasonal gifts. “I look at the Christian bookstore for a meaningful gift or a thoughtful gift. They tend to have quality things that you can give to somebody and I like that.”

Jenny Smith, 27, said that she thought it was “hard to market Christianity to twentysomethings because (to them), it is very cheesy and just very outdated” and suggested more stores incorporate a café, lounge area and free WiFi to draw younger shoppers.

Christian stores were important, she said, because “(they do) target an audience that wouldn’t be able to find the supplies just anywhere.”

Read more of the roundtable conversation in the November issue of Christian Retailing.

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