Keeping the Faith: Sacred Path Books & Art

Sacred Path Books & Art [1], an approximately 10-year-old bookstore located in Trinity Commons in Cleveland, is one of three storefronts connected to the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. And, though spiritual and religious books are the key focus of the bookstore, it's also a fervent advocate for localism and fair trade, according to store manager Clara Sayre.

On Tuesday, July 22, Sacred Path hosted an IndieBound information session, and Sayre noted that the new indie movement goes hand-in-hand with the store's philosophy.

While Sacred Path does serve church parishioners, the bookstore has always tried to be all-inclusive, promote local writers and artists, and work with fellow retailers, Sayre said. "We carry books on other faiths, Tibetan prayer beads, books on sexuality, Lutheran hymnal books -- but we don't try to be everything to everyone," she explained. "We carry fiction bestsellers, we have a kids' section. We want people to feel welcome here."

The store also carries books by local authors on consignment. "We try to promote local Cleveland talent," Sayre said. "There is local artists' work on the walls," which, she added, ties very nicely into the IndieBound idea of supporting the local economy.

Sacred Path is located in downtown Cleveland in an area where there is a great deal of construction underway. It's also right across the street from Cleveland State University. Since last year, when she began working at the store, Sayre has been attempting to negate the effects of the construction, which, until recently, had been directly in front of the store. She's also made the front window display "a little more general" to attract CSU students and "non-spiritual" people.

"[The construction] has severely hurt stores up and down the street," Sayre said. "Our sales were up in the air, and now we're recovering from last year. We're relearning who our customers are."

She added, "Downtown Cleveland is still trying to rebuild itself. We're trying to give customers reasons to be here. We need to revitalize the downtown retail."

Toward that end, Sayre said, "I was really excited to see IndieBound. The posters are eye-catching and great for the store."

She's using the materials in the Liberation Box to reach out to neighboring businesses, such as Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade dealer of artisan-crafted decor. "I've started talking [about IndieBound] with the manager of Ten Thousand Villages," Sayre said. "My first impression was that this was for booksellers, but once I figured out that this could also encompass other independent businesses, it gave me ideas on how to include other retailers."

In addition, Sacred Path will be using the IndieBound palm cards in a summer reading program. The store is asking kids to read four books of their own choosing over the summer and to provide a brief synopsis of the books signed by their parents. In return, they will receive a palm card good for 15 percent off on all book purchases through the end of September. --David Grogan [2]