SANDY, Utah - Hundreds of buyers and exhibitors gathered to peruse products and make business acquaintances at the LDS Booksellers Association's five-day annual convention that ends Friday.And though the association's title implies only books are sold, the convention at the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy, Utah, features products ranging from personalized casserole dishes to LDS-theme wrapping paper.Organizers estimate that as of Thursday, 114 vendors and about as many bookstores were registered for the event, which welcomed buyers from as far away as England, Canada and Samoa.The expo centers' large north room was full of booths dripping with LDS-theme products. Some sellers displayed traditional framed paintings and prints depicting the life of the Savior on their booths' temporary walls, while other, recently started companies offered unique products.In parts of the world where there are few members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, independent retailers serve basically the same purpose as Deseret Book stores do in Utah, said Mitch Hansen who operates Liahona Bookstore in Atlanta, Georgia. He said his store, like many other stores, is located near the LDS temple, which is necessary "if you're going to make any money outside of Utah."Hansen was in attendance with other retailers who work for the same parent company, including JoAnn Rapp who operates "Nauvoo Books" in Spring, Texas.Rapp said when some people enter the store they think they're in a Deseret Book because the stock is so similar. Aside from local authors' and artists' work, the products offered in her store are virtually the same. Many independent retailers maintain their businesses on the side — in addition to a full-time job — making it "more of a service than anything" she said.Marty and Jan Van de Mewre have been attending the convention for 13 years and operate their company, "Latter Day Designs," out of their home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jan worked for a toy company making Star Wars figurines before he began making figurines based on characters in the Book of Mormon. Captain Moroni is the most popular, though they offer a wide selection.Though Deseret Book is one of their biggest buyers, the independent retailers are just as important, Marty said. "Everyone keeps us alive. We need the little guys," she said, as she and her husband are the only investors.Also on display at their booth was a replica of the Liahona compass from the Book of Mormon, and a pewter chess set fashioned after opposing armies of Nephites and Lamanites. The Nephites were shiny and silver in color, while the Lamanites were dark. Subtle details further differentiate the opposing sides, such as the Lamanite queen's dress which had a high slit versus the Nephite queen's modest outfit. Both sets have rameumptom towers in place of rooks, and the pawns are warriors.Some attendants were both sellers and buyers, such as Penny Blaylock, who owns and operates a scrapbooking shop in Ontario, Ore. In addition to the cutesy paper and pattern-cutting scissors basic to her trade, Blaylock likes to carry missionary-theme decor as well as genealogy-theme items. Blaylock said she turns to the booksellers convention to find items her LDS customers in surrounding communities want so she doesn't have to send them 50 miles to Boise."There's a lot of need to be met out there," she said.
E-mail: mfarmer@desnews.com