Waybright began with a desire to be in some service of use to the cause of Christianity to which we had committed our purpose in life. Back in our teen years I had met Mr. Pat Zondervan, one of the founders of Zondervan Publishers, through my dad being associated with him in the Gideon Bible Society and was made aware of the Christian book business. In those years were born the idea that I might get into that business.
After a stint in the military and college I could never get books out of my life. Married and living in Dallas, Texas, a member of a church and had become associated with Rev. Dr. J. H. Hamblen, father of the song writer and cowboy singer and actor, Stuart Hamblin. Rev. Hamblin had a friend in Memphis, Tennessee operating a small bookshop that wanted to sell and retire. We were able to get together and make a deal moving the store to Dallas in 1958. We took over a back room in the house we were renting, got a friend to build shelves to hold our book stock and opened for business on a very small scale, doing business with the churches of the Evangelical Methodist connection and others we contacted.
After a brief period it became necessary to get open sources for books and materials to serve an increase in customers. The word of knowledge came to me to write to Mr. Pat Zondervan and see if I could open an account to buy from them. He sent the company representive, his brother, Bill, to see us and from that meeting the door was opened to all we could ask. We became members of Christian Booksellers Association and the book trade was opened up to our requirements for all resources.
In 1961 we moved the business to a location on Illinois Avenue, just west of the intersection of Corinth Street and Lancaster Road, now occupied by a McDonald’s restaurant. Joy, the wife and mother of six, took over the business operation, with a room in the back of the store she could attend to the kids, between times take orders, sell, do the ordering and buying and handling the finances. All this, while Robert, the father of this idea, worked at a secular job in the office products industry to earn the living for the family, of course helping as he could with the bookstore after hours at the first job. With financial help from friends, the bank, our suppliers, and ourselves putting all profits back into the business we saw it finally grow to a size we had to make other arrangements.
Moved in 1969 further west to our present location, 1145 E. Illinois Avenue, we were able to purchase the property and have filled it to capacity with many choices of Bibles, All Good Christian Books and great Christian Education Resources for the church and home school. Also Church Goods which includes Artistic Communion Ware and Offering supplies, bulletins, envelopes, etc., Murphy Choir and Pulpit Robes, Accessories, Hymnals and song books, and a lot more. Products from Cook Communication Ministries, Gospel Light Publications, Union Gospel Press, Urban Ministries, Standard Publications, Boyd Publications – National Baptist Publishing, Broadman-Holman Publishers and many other suppliers and book publishers.
A customer has a need for any item not in our stock; we will get it! Our motto is Service, Service, Service, with a Christian smile and a faith that works and attitude that needs not to be adjusted.
Owners: Robert and Joy Waybright and daughter, Cynthia Wright, with the help of five wonderful employees.
Store Hours: M-F 9:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. SAT 9:30 A.M. TO 2:30 P.M. SUN-CLOSED - ATTEND CHURCH
