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Joel Hillis and Ron Coles began H & C Supplies in 1978 which helped lead them to opening their family-owned and operated, conservation Christian Family Bookstore in Athens in 1990.
The Christian Family Bookstore has survived and thrived for decades because of generational and community support. Now located on Ringgold Road, the Christian Family Bookstore is a family-owned business that has grown “to provide a wide variety of religious supplies to people throughout the world.”
Currently only the Hillis family members are involved in the current operation of the non-profit mutual benefit corporation bookstore, specifically son Perry Hillis, and although times have changed the integrity and name of the bookstore has remained the same while they have expanded their product line.
A variety of Bibles, from compact to super large print to leatherbound or hardcover, along with reference books are available. Concordances, dictionaries, commentaries, atlases, timelines, gospel advocate and many more subjects can be shipped directly to you or picked up in person.
According to their website, the Christian Family Bookstore goal is “to provide people and churches with items they need to grow spiritually as well as to help spread the Gospel through Bibles and needed supplies.” Their mission is “to be the trusted first choice for those seeking biblical resources and supplies and they strive to provide sound Bible-based products that aid in evangelism, encourage each individual Christian’s spiritual development, and foster growth in the body of Christ.”
With the advancement of technology since their doors opened, the Christian Family Bookstore also now offer items beyond the bookshelves like Baptistry immersion water heater elements, prefilled communion cups, baptismal gowns, and stationary. They also are able to imprint bibles while you wait and the service is free if you purchase the bible there. With on-site dollar deals and overstock sales, there is something for every price range and every age. They even have a “special deals” section on their website where books average $5 or less.
“It's a really good feeling to help people out when they are in search of bettering themselves,” said Perry Hillis who took over in 2017, “Being able to fulfill people’s needs whether it's providing a certain book or Bible, or even imprinting a Bible with their name. When the customer is happy, it makes you feel good.”
Successful in business for a longtime, Covid did affect them as their customer base was lowered when churches across the country were made to close their doors. Perry added, “whether from sickness, attrition of congregations, governmental regulations, or lifestyle changes that don't include religion, sales are getting harder to come by.”
Become a customer, whether in person or online and learn they not only listen to their customers and authors but embrace the idea that they are at their customer's service. As their 2021 catalogs are not ready yet, one can view (or print) their 2020 digital catalogs from their website to get a grasp of all in stock.
Visit their East Ridge storefront, go online to thechristianfamilybookstore.com or call (423) 855-4690 to discover what vast amounts of Christian resources this family-run business has to offer.
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