Sacred Melody has been family-run since it opened for business in 1957. The religious bookshop began in the heart of downtown.
“I heard they would play Christian music to bus riders as they waited on the corner for their bus,” said owner/manager Katrina Skinner. “Since we started, it was always all about spreading the gospel. We started as a music- and shirt-supply store, and now we’ve become a store focused on the basic customer with some church supplies and a lot more gifts. We’re a lot more of a book/gift/music store.”
Sacred Melody shines as a unique gift shop with a decidedly spiritual side.
Located in a newly remodeled space in Eastwood Plaza on James Street, Sacred Melody displays a large selection of Christian-themed books, Bibles, music, gifts and greeting cards.
Shoppers come in for a variety of reasons, Skinner said. “Any church promotional event, we do a lot of pastor-appreciation month, or if someone wants to give their pastor a Christmas gift, that’s when they think of us,” she said. “We have clocks, wall clocks, desk clocks, pens. We also imprint Bibles. That’s one of the most important things we do here. And we have more translations of the Bible than you’ll find anywhere. We are a Christian department store in a very small place, service in a calm atmosphere.” Sacred Melody also offers a rewards program for churches that enroll.
The store also has a CD song-burner. Sacred Melody can burn any music the customer chooses and combine five different selections to create your own personal compact disc. A CD filled with your favorites make wonderful gifts for friends or family, Skinner suggested.
Laser-engraving is the shop’s latest innovation. This new service provides free personalization of anything made of wood, metal or glass and a range of crosses and crucifixes, water bottles, flashlights, etc. In addition to standard engraving of frames and personalized gifts, Sacred Melody’s capable of making wooden coins engraved with the church name on one side and Scripture on the other.
”The mission of our staff is to create a haven of Christ’s love in our city,” Skinner said.
(Sacred Melody’s located at 3501 James Street they’re open Monday -Saturday 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. 315-437-1095)
