Customers

With a glance through the catalog provided by the owner and just a walk through the bookstore itself, one thing was made evident right away. This bookstore caters to a vast array of cultures and customers. Books were available in languages such as Bengali, Urdu, Spanish, French, Persian, Hindi, and even Indonesian. Translated versions of the Quran were also available in many different languages. Thus, the bookstore is meant to be a welcoming center for Muslims seeking to learn more about their faith as well as for those interested in the Islamic faith. However, it is quite evident from the very few customers that come in, that business is not growing. The bookstore’s major clients are imams, or worship leaders in mosques, who contact the owner for literature that will supplement their teachings. These leaders have a close relationship with the owner and their loyalty to the owner allows for consistent sales. Besides these leaders, the most frequent customers to come in to the bookstore are low-income, according to our dialogue with the owner. With the little money they have, they focus on their faith and hope to teach themselves more about it. The bookstore has its own website that is frequently updated with new arrivals. Thus, the survival of the bookstore seems to be reliant on the success of the website and online sales.