The Rosary Book & Gift Shoppe has been a fixture of Catholic life in the Lansing area for nearly eight decades. Now, it's under new ownership.
"It's important to have this in our community for the Christian faithful to come and get the supplies they need to deepen their faith," said new owner Jerry Robinson Jr. to local television station WLNS-TV 6 at the shop's grand reopening on Saturday, July 25.
Jerry and his wife, Madeline, are parishioners at Saint Peter in Eaton Rapids. The couple had never considered running a Catholic gift shop and bookstore until late last year.
"My brother called me last year and asked me what he could get my wife for Christmas," Jerry told WLNS-TV 6.
"I said, 'Get her a gift card to the Rosary Shoppe. It's her favorite store. She got her First Communion dress here when she was little'."
"And he called, and they said, 'The business is for sale. We're not doing any gift cards at the moment.' We just couldn't stop thinking about it. We were like, 'Man, it's for sale!'"
And so, Jerry and Madeline bought the Rosary Book & Gift Shoppe in June. The store has long provided liturgical supplies to parishes and has served the Diocese of Lansing since 1947. Jerry and Madeline are only the fifth owners of the business. The previous proprietors, Michael and Vickey Wegener, purchased the shop in 2001 and owned it for nearly 25 years. They too were at Saturday's grand reopening.
"It feels super fantastic," Michael told WLNS-TV 6. "We've been praying and looking for a quality new owner, and Jerry and Maddie fit that bill."
Vickey added, "They have close connections to the community and to many priests in the area, so we're very excited for them."
• For more information on the Rosary Book & Gift Shoppe, visit: https://rosarybookandgift.com/