Modernized St. Paul’s Corner bookstore celebrates ‘grand reopening’

When it came time to find the perfect present for a family friend in Confirmation classes, Anchorage’s Jean Dore knew just where to turn.

A parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish, Dore was first in line for the March 1 grand reopening of St. Paul’s Corner, which recently took several big strides to streamline store operations.

“Much quicker,” Dore said of her shopping experience. “With great ideas.”

Led by bookstore manager Bernardette Frost, the Catholic book and gift store next to Holy Family parish created its first ever digital catalog and inventory, all thanks to volunteers and Dominican student brother Anthony Martin.

“Our hands will be happier; we’ll have more timely information,” Frost said. “So it’s a digital world for us now.”

It’s a transformation that Frost has long desired, but only recently been able to finance. Up until this year, the store’s thousands of books, saint medals and other religious artifacts were inventoried the old-fashioned way — with pen and paper. For every purchase, volunteer cashiers would write out a sales receipt by hand.

To modernize, “You had to buy the software, you had to buy more expensive equipment and we didn’t have the resources,” Frost said.

With more affordable technology solutions in place, and the computer science background of Br. Anthony, volunteers from across the archdiocese went to work during the two-month closure. Frost said she could expect between two and 12 volunteers to show up on any given day. 

“It was a monumental task of identifying every item in this store: every medal, every holy card — at least once or twice, maybe more — to count it, to load it, to put barcodes on it, to make displays,” Frost said.

Stephanie Withrow (far left) purchases several items with assistance from St. Paul’s Corner manager Bernardette Frost (middle left), volunteer Bonnie Green (middle right) and Fran Lopinsky on Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Courtesy of Nolin Ainsworth)

The bookstore’s new layout gives more space for volunteers to work and moves the money operations away from the front door. 

“If they come in, we meet them where they are, and it may not be that they buy anything,” Frost said. “It may just be that they just need to associate with laypeople that are of their faith and can help them along the way.”

The store is currently only open two days a week (Sunday 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Wednesday 11 a.m.-2 p.m.), but “the only thing between us and more hours are volunteers,” Frost said.

Frost said she likes to carry Alaskan art, but that it must have a religious theme. Used Catholic books, devotionals and other items in good shape can also be donated. 

As for Dore, one of the opening day shoppers, she was delighted to find a book all about her friend’s Confirmation saint, St. Albert the Great, the patron saint of scientists.

“Every gift here is special but when you can pick out something that is spiritually meaningful for the person you’re buying it for, that makes it even better,” Dore said.

Contact St. Paul’s Corner at (907) 646-3070 or st.pauls.corner@holyfamilycathedral.org.