How YOU Can Build the World’s Largest Second-Hand, Catholic Bookstore

by Bruce Mac Vicar with Sebastian Mahfood

Have you ever wanted to promote your Catholic faith by sharing books with others? How about by selling books to others on the cheap? How about by going all out and building the world’s LARGEST second-hand, Catholic bookstore? Bruce Mac Vicar shows you in five easy steps how to set up the organizational structure to make your dream a reality, walking you through the process of setting up, creating a support network and steady stream of incoming books, and moving your stock into the avid hands of the faithful (and not-yet-so-faithful) persons seeking a greater understanding of their relationship with God and man. If you’re a Catholic looking for a lifelong, faith-filled and faith-sustaining project, this book is for you.
Paperback $9.99 | Kindle $9.99

INTERVERVIEW

WCAT Radio’s “I Thought You’d Like to Know This, Too” with Bob Olson

Listen to “Bob Olson interviews Catholic Author Bruce Mac Vicar (May 12, 2017)” on Spreaker.

Article in the Orange Country Catholic: http://occatholic.com/the-doghouse-ministry/

ADDITIONAL IDEAS

Bruce provides us with some excellent ideas within his book, but the idea engine never stops! Here’s another:

Mall “pop-up” stores are a popular trend for testing your product line for a couple of months without committing to a lease. They are set up in malls which are in decline and give the mall owner a chance to give more life/energy to the mall. This keeps customers from abandoning the mall as “dead.”  This is a WIN/WIN if the new business can afford to move their products in and out of the space in short order.  Nothing new, of course, as there have been popups for Halloween costumes and Christmas specialty gifts (think David’s nuts and dried fruit packs) but now, as more malls go into decline, other types of businesses are giving it a try. Since the type of shelving I propose in the book is portable and does not need to be nailed to the wall, this could work for a group, like Knights of Columbus, putting together a store – i.e., they’d have enough manpower to move the shelves and inventory in a short period of time. This “test” of the product line might be useful while building capital for the eventual permanent location.

An article on the Internet today indicated ToysRUs may go bankrupt because, in part, their brick-and-mortar venues cannot compete with Amazon.com. And, yesterday, there was an article in the Orange County Register Business section (9-17-2017) about second hand stores succeeding as traditional retailers stumble. The article noted that thrift/resale stores have grown 7 percent a year for the last two years while major department stores are having to downsize. The article goes on to note that resale stores first became popular during the recession and that clients not only love the savings but enjoy the fun of “the hunt.” This seems to support two points I made in the book: used books provide affordable merchandise, and displaying the books in a random manner adds to the fun of “the hunt.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Glendale, CA, Bruce Mac Vicar earned his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

He served in the U.S. Coast Guard with a tour of duty in the Presidential Honor Guard and followed that as a job placement counselor at U.C.S.B. and as a records manager for banks and the national archives.

He was the co-founder of a crisis counseling center in Isla Vista, CA, and was elected member of the Isla Vista Community Council.

Over the years, Bruce developed six used bookstores in CA, an experience he happily shares in the pages of his book.

A convert to Catholicism, Bruce is a third degree Knights of Columbus. He has been happily married for 36 years to his good wife, Ann.

OTHER CATHOLIC BUSINESS AND EDUCATION BOOKS

Addressing Moral Confusion

Addressing Moral Confusion

Addressing Moral Confusion by Richard May The goal of this workbook is to help our youth to receive catechetical instruction without getting bogged down by the mindset of the world today, thereby enabling them to be more open to the truth of the Gospel of Christ and...

read more
Seminary Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1, Spring 2023

Seminary Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1, Spring 2023

Seminary Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1, Spring 2023 SJ General Editor: Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP. This issue was coordinated by Fr. Dennis Billy, CSsR The Seminary Journal is a journal of opinion, research, and praxis in the field of seminary education and formation for...

read more
Home for the Homily: The Sacred Art of Homiletics

Home for the Homily: The Sacred Art of Homiletics

Home for the Homily: The Sacred Art of Homiletics by Kiki Latimer Home for The Homily: The Sacred Art of Homiletics concerns a new and required depth of preaching the word of God within the Mass. This calls for a new and deeper appreciation of communication skills....

read more
Teaching and Learning in the Age of COVID19

Teaching and Learning in the Age of COVID19

Teaching and Learning in the Age of COVID19: Faith-Based -- Online and Emergency Remote Ed. by Sebastian Mahfood, OP, Ph.D., Timothy Westbrook, Ph.D., and Victoria Dunnam, Ph.D. with a Foreword by Dr. Mary E. Lowe Over the past two decades, a generation of educational...

read more
Teaching Research Processes by William Badke

Teaching Research Processes by William Badke

Customers who buy Teaching Research Processes also bought Research Strategies. Get your copy today!Teaching Research Processes: The Faculty Role in the Development of Skilled Student Researchers, 2nd Edition by William Badke Today’s students struggle with the research...

read more
Among the Marvelous Things

Among the Marvelous Things

Among the Marvelous Things: The Media of Social Communications and the Next Generation of Pastoral Ministers Edited by Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP When Saint John Paul II 'suggested' in Redemptoris Missio (1990) that instruction in the use of mass media be decisively...

read more
Parish Management and Operations

Parish Management and Operations

Prof. Brinda, pictured here below with his students at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago in February, 2017, may be reached at mikebrinda5@gmail.com. Parish Management and Operations: The Buck Stops Here by Michael A. Brinda How often have we heard the sayings, “It’s...

read more
99 Ways

99 Ways

99 Ways to Teach Like the Master by T.J. Burdick 99 Ways to Teach Like the Master is a journey into the instructive techniques of Jesus. By learning from the Master, we can learn better how to communicate and impart knowledge to others. Whether it is for the teacher...

read more