Mar 21, 2010

Religious store functioning on a prayerBy Becca Nelson SankeyGoSanAngelo.com

San Angelo, Texas — By all appearances, the 1,100-square-foot building with its neat displays of jewelry, signs, teddy bears and crosses speaks of a typical small-town religious gift shop.

But owner Liz Darby, a secular Franciscan, said there’s more than meets the eye.

“Even if someone comes in, looks around and does not find what they need, they still go out of here with a blessing,” Darby said. “I will ask God’s blessing on everyone that comes in.”

Darby donates the proceeds of the shop, which has been in business since 2006, to charities including Amazon Relief, the local Salvation Army and the Pregnancy Help Center — all organizations to which she feels compelled to give as a Secular Franciscan.

“I’m not a nonprofit,” Darby said of her shop. “This is basically personal donations made in the name of the shop.”

Darby said her retirement fund from being a registered nurse has kept the business afloat: Since opening, the business has not yet broken even, but Darby seems to shrug off those concerns.

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