Early move allows bookstore owner to avoid collapse
The Chronicle-Telegram Staff
ELYRIA — The saying goes that when God closes a door, he opens a window. But business owner John Zapola thinks that, maybe, God opens doors, too.
For nearly a year, Zapola operated his Christian bookstore — The Waymaker’s Messenger — in a small stall inside the Elyria Flea Market.
On Wednesday, after the rear portion of the flea market’s building partially collapsed, Zapola said he kept getting calls from people wondering if he’d been affected.
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| STEVE MANHEIM/CHRONICLE |
| John Zapola, owner of Waymaker’s Messenger bookstore on Abbe Road, stands with some of his inventory. |
As it were, Zapola had moved his bookstore to a storefront across the street just a few weeks ago.
But the timing of the move and the building’s collapse is the most recent event that has Zapola wondering why things have been so easy for him recently.
“It feels like God has been opening doors for me all along the way,” the Elyria resident said.
Zapola had dreamed of owning a Christian bookstore for years. He said he kept hearing an internal voice urging him to open a bookstore, but he kept putting it off — he was too busy with his job at General Motors and with his growing family.
But last March, Zapola decided the time was right.
He rented a 400-square-foot space in the Elyria Flea Market — a building which used to house a home improvement warehouse — and started selling books and bibles two days a week. Slowly, business began to pick up.
“Everything kind of fell into place,” Zapola said, although at first he wasn’t so certain things would.
“The week after I opened up in the flea market, I read an article in the Plain Dealer talking about how all of the Christian bookstores in the area — The Word, Rainbow — were going out of business. They’re all going out, and here I am coming in.”
But it seems his timing was on the money because as the others went by the wayside, The Waymaker’s Messenger kept growing.
It didn’t take long for Zapola to realize he needed more room, and he found it right across the street.
When a storefront at 645 S. Abbe Road came available, he signed on to lease it even though it was triple the space of his flea market stall.
Soon after, Zapola learned that yet another Christian store in the area — Brighter Side — was folding and looking to sell its wares. But he just couldn’t swing buying out the inventory.
He hadn’t yet opened his new store and already was wondering how he was going to afford to get it up and running.
But that didn’t deter that store’s owners: They gave him a deal on the inventory in exchange for Zapola helping them move.
“Things just kept falling into place,” Zapola said.
He was taking his time trying to get things organized, but a request for a book signing accelerated his timetable. He opened his new store Jan. 10 — several weeks earlier than planned.
So after hearing about the damage to the flea market — in addition to the building collapse, nearly 500,000 gallons of water flooded the interior — Zapola is again counting his blessings.
“Sometimes,” he said, “I think I sell God short.”
Contact Michael Baker at 329-7128 or mbaker@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by The Chronicle-Telegram Staff February 7th, 2008 in Top Stories. Popularity: 2% |
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