- Rayann's Bookstore has been a downtown Thomasville fixture since 1973, offering Bibles, church supplies, and faith-based gifts.
- Owner Laura Eiford is retiring to spend more time with family.
- The store will officially close at the end of April, but Eiford is hopeful someone will step in to carry on the tradition of a local Christian bookstore.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
This historic bookstore has been a downtown Thomasville staple for 52 years, providing neighbors with faith-based resources.
Now, it's closing its doors.
I'm looking at how this closing impacts the community and what comes next.
"A lot of people have said they purchased their first Bible here, and we put their names on the Bibles," said Eiford.
Rayann's Christian Bookstore has been a cornerstone of faith in Thomasville, helping generations find Bibles, study materials, and gifts since 1973.
"I love Ray Ann's Christian Bookstore. It was very instrumental in helping to educate my children on Christian belief, in their beliefs and also in their faith. It was easy to be able to walk in. They had everything that you needed, your Bibles, your Bible study material, great gift ideas for friends and family whenever something would arise," said Tracie Fiveash.
Now, its owner, Laura Eiford, is preparing to close its doors for good after navigating the business through 23 years of changes.
"The industry's changed a lot. We sell a lot of music. You know, now that's all digital, so we don't do that. But we've always felt like we did a good job at kind of changing with the times. You know, we've brought in more gifts, more things people can give just to encourage people," said Eiford.
But now she's ready to step into a new chapter.
"I'm retiring to just have more time available for my family. My husband travels a good bit, and I want to be able to do that with him. And then I have grandchildren that live away from here and want to be very present in their lives, and my kids, none of them live here," said Eiford.
Many downtown business owners, like Tracie Fiveash at Pink Valise say losing RayAnn's means losing a vital part of Thomasville's small business community.
"I'm a little sad that they're closing. I think it's a one-of-a-kind type business. And I wish, you know, somebody could take it over because it's a great store," said Fiveash.
Laura says she hopes someone will continue the tradition, but her family is ready to move on.
"When you sell a business, people need for you to stay with them for a while and kind of help train them and get them started. And we didn't really want to do that, you know, because that was a commitment that we were just kind of ready to move on to the next season," said Eiford.
Laura tells me the store will officially close at the end of April.
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