For thirty-seven years, the Cathedral Bookstore has been a welcoming corner of Latham Hall, a place to see friends on Sundays, and a resource for the literary needs of parishioners and downtowners. When the pandemic led the Cathedral to move to on-line worship and forced Treebeards to shutter, the Bookstore had to do some quick adjusting, too.
We began exploring new service options, starting with delivering books to homes. It was a great way to see people when we were feeling isolated, but we soon learned that Cathedral parishioners come from all over Greater Houston’s 9,444 square miles, (that’s larger than New Jersey)—and some from even further. Hand delivery was not sustainable for all the books people needed. Over the summer, we expanded our website, explored drop-ship options with our vendors, and set up direct invoicing. We’re getting to be very familiar with the kind folks at the local USPS. We still deliver by hand when that’s the best way to get the job done, and since the Cathedral offices opened, we provide lobby pick-up Monday through Friday. It was quite a summer, but readers need to read, and we had to find ways to get them their books.
We’re grateful to all the supportive booklovers who continued to order from us when supply chains were slow, and we weren’t just sure just when books might arrive. We’re thankful for all the recommendations of great titles that customers have shared with us. And we so appreciate the customers who have sent us their book club lists and said please order all of these for me. All of these purchases directly support the operating fund of the Cathedral, so buying a book from the Bookstore provides manifold blessings!
We can’t wait for the day when we’ll be able to open our doors and welcome everyone back for cookies, puzzles, and browsing. In the meantime, look on our website, Facebook, and Instagram for information on new titles, books for Cathedral programs, and other items of interest.
We continue to expand the website as fast as we can, but with the hundreds of books and gifts we carry, and the untold number that are available, we’ll never be able to list everything. Whether we meet in person or on-line, our goal is to provide you all the books and gifts you need, delivered with love, so don’t hesitate to let us know how we can be of service.
Contact the Bookstore:
Website: https://thecathedralbookstore.com
Email: bookstore@christchurchcathedral.org
Phone: 713-222-0286
Facebook: @christchurchcathedralbookstore
Instagram: cathedralbookstore
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
~Helen Keller