Local Christian bookstore isn’t just for Christians

For Larry and Julie Jones, who work full time elsewhere, owning Choices seems like it’s always been part of their plan.

Choices is a Christian bookstore that’s been open since 2004.Even though Choices is a Christian store, Julie said it’s not a store solely for Christians. She said people from any walk of life can find something for themselves in the store.

“We do sell non-Christian items as well,” Julie said. “We have some fair-trade merchandise. We have monthly specials that have really good discounts.”

Jones and her husband, Larry, got the idea to open Choices in 2004 after talking with a counselor about another business. At the time, Newton had just seen the closure of another Christian book store, and they began discussing some of the things that business did that were successful and things they did that weren’t successful.

“We walked out of that meeting thinking, ‘Hmm, how’d we end up on that topic,’” Jones said. “Then we had friends of ours who knew we were thinking of opening a business of some kind that also ran a local business in town, and they called us up and said, ‘You know, I think this is what you ought to do.’”

After receiving so many suggestions from friends and the community, Julie felt opening the store was in God’s plan for her and her husband. After hitting a bit of a wall when first opening and looking for a space, Julie said she started to question whether opening a store was in their plan. Then, as those questions began to rise, they found a space.

Julie said their customer base is very diverse, but they do have some people who come in regularly.

“We’re kind of a gift store,” Julie said. “So people come in when they’re looking for something. Either for a Bible study or a birthday gift or Christmas gift.”

Julie said they have a large card selection, so during special occasions people will come in and purchase cards. Julie said her favorite item in the store is the wall art. Julie also said her employees are diverse and come from several churches in town.

Choices also has an online store with e-books for sale at choicestore.com. Choices is located on the square in Newton.