After large Christian bookstore chain Manna went through restructuring and closed the Gore branch, Riverbooks manager Lorraine Clark said the Christian community in Gore banded together to save the day.
"A group of community people have got together and we have purchased the store," she said.
Mrs Clark said that although the decision did not come lightly, they were more than happy to continue the legacy.
"It wasn’t overnight, but it did happen. It’s a no-brainer. It just had to be, there’s been a Christian bookstore in Gore for 40 years."
The community response had been excellent, Mrs Clark said.
"It’s been positive, extremely positive. People were very disappointed it was closing and now they’re really happy that it’s still going to be around, that a store like this is remaining in Gore."
The mission remained the same, despite the change of ownership and name.
"We’re here for the people. We’re here to help feed their lives, to bring positivity."
The reopening had its share of hurdles, but Mrs Clark said the change to being independently run would be good for customers.
"The stock here used to be what we bought from Bible Society Manor. They have 14 stores, so they decided what we would stock. Now we have more choice, so we can go to different suppliers," she said.
Although there were still some technical issues to iron out, Mrs Clark welcomed the public to visit the new store.
"People are more than welcome to come in and see what we’re about.
"There’s a few little glitches in the system, but we are here, we will serve people and answer questions and see what they would like."
