MissPoppy.com, the First Alternative Christian Retailer, Appeals to Conservative and Liberal Christians Alike

MissPoppy.com, the first alternative Christian retailer, celebrated its one-year anniversary in November of 2004. Capping the year with a successful holiday season Miss Poppy Dixon, the owner of the company, took a thoughtful look back at both the company's customer base and product mix.

(PRWEB) January 1, 2005 -- While appealing to disaffected and alienated Christians, or as Bishop John Shelby Spong describes them, "the Church in exile," MissPoppy.com also appeals to conservative Christians with a fierce independent streak: ministers, seminarians, theologians, professors, and evangelists. While the latter voice some objections to the product mix, which includes items some consider borderline blasphemy, they voice appreciation for the humor and robustness of the site. The MissPoppy.com product mix includes three basic categories:

1. Traditional and Tasteful Christian Religious Supplies
Imported Italian prayer cards, Bible tracts, and vintage Christian greeting cards
2. Christian Kitsch and Collectibles
Illuminated kinetic wall art, Bible pencil sharpeners, and glow in the dark religious statuettes and rosaries
3. The Borderline Blasphemous
Christian underwear, Jesus ashtrays, and "Lock 'n' Load Jesus" mouse pads and mugs

The "Lock 'n' Load Jesus" line features Christ in the garden of Gethsemane kneeling not in prayer but over an automatic rifle. The line was designed to confront an increasingly aggressive American-style Christianity, and appeals to liberal Christians dismayed by the melding of conservative politics and faith.

Part of the MissPoppy.com customer base is a long overlooked market segment -- the collector of popular Christian products, or what Miss Dixon calls "Christiana." Miss Dixon is a longtime collector as are many of her close friends and colleagues. "I collect Bibles and tracts," said Miss Dixon, "The pride of my collection is the Basil Wolverton graphic Bible, but I also have the Visionaire 28 fashion Bible, and the Salem Kirban Bible. Last year I acquired one of the very first Jack Chick tracts, 'Somebody Goofed,' produced not by Chick Tracts, but by Rusthoi Publications. It was a coup."

MissPoppy.com tailors the product mix to appeal to both the novice and serious collector by carrying popular Christian items such as Jesus Action Figures and Nodders as well as closeout items such as plastic Jesus night lights. Miss Dixon found the rare night lights in the back room of a religious supply store that was going out of business and bought the lot. They sold out immediately. Short runs of hand screened items also appeal to the collector. "Turn or Burn" pot holders sold out quickly over the holidays.

An informal poll on the MissPoppy.com web site found most visitors, 68%, hailing from "blue states," or those that voted primarily Democratic in the last election. Of those polled 32% came from "red states," or those that voted primarily Republican in the last election. "Red staters" expressed the most appreciation for the site and said that it had cheered and uplifted them after last November's election. "There are a lot of good people out there, Christian or not, who want to embrace Jesus' message of loving your neighbor. We don't judge. We strive to serve everyone," said Miss Dixon.

The company's tagline, "What a Trend We Have in Jesus," acknowledges the conflict many feel about the mixing of commerce and faith. "Instead of attempting to 'spiritualize' our business," said Miss Dixon, "our intent is to bring Jesus to the largest possible market. Many online Christian stores address the conflict of commerce and faith by describing themselves as 'Christ-centered,' linking to doctrinal statements, or Sinner's Prayers in hopes of luring a customer into becoming a Christian. We're a business," continued Miss Dixon, "We trust our customers to make their own decisions about faith. We don't pretend to be sanctioned by God."

Commenting on the decline of brick and mortar Christian bookstores Miss Dixon said, "Christians want to participate in the marketplace, but they want to control the experience, to control the response. A good business responds to the customer, it does not force the customer to respond to it. MissPoppy.com reflects the diversity of American Christian and non-Christian belief. This is the key to our success."

A sizeable percentage of MissPoppy.com sales came from foreign orders, primarily Canada, the UK and Australia. In 2004 MissPoppy.com branched into business to business sales, providing product to a Hollywood theater production, and other corporate accounts. Products from MissPoppy.com were also featured on Comedy Central's "Graham Norton Effect." MissPoppy.com relies heavily on word of mouth marketing and serves its loyal customers with a generous affiliate program.

What are Miss Dixon's plans for 2005? "The business will introduce more MissPoppy-branded products and expand into wholesaling. We're currently looking for distributors," said Miss Dixon, "both in the US and abroad. We're also courting strategic partners, and plan to represent the business at more events."

About MissPoppy.com
Visit MissPoppy.com at http://www.misspoppy.com or call toll-Free: 1-888-953-7879. MissPoppy.com opened in June 2003 and is the web's largest and most complete one-stop shop for all popular Christian products. Miss Poppy Dixon has been online since 1995 with Miss Poppy Dixon's Adult Christianity [http://www.jesus21.com.

Miss Poppy Dixon, MissPoppy.com, Adult Christianity, "What a Trend We Have in Jesus," "Where Even Your Money is Saved," and associated design marks and logos are trademarks or service marks owned by Miss Poppy Dixon, a division of Media Elite, Inc., and may or may not be registered in the United States and other countries.

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