The Red Deer, Alberta, branch of Kennedy’s Parable Christian Store—formerly known as Scott’s Parable—opened Nov. 12 to great enthusiasm in the community. Kennedy's Parable has another location in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

“The response from the customers since [opening] day is, overwhelmingly, with great gratitude,” a spokesman for the store told Christian Retailing. “The customers are soooo [sic] happy we are open again!”

The reopening comes after a long period of uncertainty for the prominent Christian store. In December 2014, the Red Deer Advocate reported that Scott’s Parable would be closing in August. Jim Pearson, the store’s longtime manager, told the Red Deer Advocate that he attributed the closing to increased competition from online retailers.

“It’s still a great location,” Pearson said. “Our problem is the digital age is on us. … I’m still kind of on the outside hoping that somebody is going to come along and want to take it over. It’s never over until it’s over.”

The store was purchased by the Kennedy family earlier this year. A statement on scottsparable.com explained the sale in more detail.

“We are pleased to announce to our loyal customers that in the last few weeks, the Kennedy family, partnering with our very own Vanessa Anderson, have decided to open a Kennedy’s Parable store right where Scott’s has been located in Red Deer,” the statement noted. “They will continue to provide access to resources that will equip people to grow in their faith and to advance God’s kingdom.”

Derek Kennedy commented on changes made since his family’s purchase of the store.

“We kept the majority of the branding and simply exchanged ‘Scott's’ for 'Kennedy's,’” Kennedy said. “This reassured our existing customers that we were not making any substantive directional changes. That continuity through the transition was aided immensely by the employees (they all stayed on), who were very reassuring. My wife Karla, who is the CEO, has been in the store and on the floor with customers almost every day since we took over. She has gone a long way to personally helping people transfer their old brand loyalty to us as new owners.”

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