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Catholic Gift Store Is Closing Its Doors

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By MICHELLE BEARDEN

mbearden@tampatrib.com

Published: January 31, 2009

In the end, the saints didn't come marching in for Darlene Yetta.

She's the owner of Just for Heaven's Sake, South Tampa's venerable Catholic gift store on Henderson Boulevard. For shoppers on this side of town, it was the convenient place to pick up a gift for that special Catholic occasion.

Darlene never really considered it a business. It was her ministry. But since she left her career as a court reporter to launch it, it had to make enough money to put food on the table and some savings in the bank.

When she and her sister Debbie Zeringue opened the doors a dozen years ago, chain stores like Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble had little interest in spiritual books and gifts. Ditto for specialty shops like Hallmark. But customer demand grew, and so did supply in the secular marketplace.

"When 'The Passion' DVD came out, Sam's Club sold it for less than we could buy it for," she says. "It's a no-win situation."

They tried to close down in November 2004, and hung "Going Out of Business" signs. Aghast customers flooded in and talked the sisters out of it. Some volunteered to help out for no pay. Anything to keep the doors open.

A few years ago, Debbie dropped out and Darlene went solo. She dug in her heels and got deeper in debt. Meanwhile, online shopping took off and she lost customers to the Internet.

Last May, desperately trying to lure new business, she opened St. Christopher's Cafe on the premises. Coffee and snacks did very well for Starbucks.

But not for Yetta.

"One woman came in to buy some Communion gifts, and ordered a latte," Yetta says. "Then she says, 'See you for confirmation!' You can't make it with twice-yearly visits."

She prayed daily to the saint of the day. She asked for intercessory prayers to God for some economic relief.

It didn't come. While her business never got worse, it never got better, either. "And since we never did make any money, we just kept losing ground," she says with a sigh.

Finally, after a fitful night, she decided it was time to say goodbye. On Jan. 6, she made the announcement. "It felt like somebody had died."

Everything must go. The statues, the crucifixes, the books, the Bibles, the novelty items, the prayer cards, scapulars, holy water bottles, even the shelving. Most everything is 50 percent off now. She hopes to have it all cleared out by Feb. 7.

A few years ago, I wrote about several other small religious stores in the Tampa Bay area losing ground to the big retailers. Some closed shop, others consolidated.

But in this case, there's a little bit of good news. Catholics who need that special something still have several options - Good News in Lutz, The Little Flower in New Tampa, Ave Maria in Brandon and St. Anthony's Gift Shop in Tampa.

And Yetta, who hopes to find part-time work in the legal or administrative field, says she will keep up her Web site, www.just forheaven.com, to sell her specialty Saintly Scents candles and other gift items.

"I stepped out in faith and I don't regret it," she says. "You can't control the external influences out there. Now it's time for a new adventure."

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