St. Jude Religious Store in Bensalem set to close. What we know

Liam Price, Bucks County Courier Times
Updated ·3 min read
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St. Jude Religious Store in Bensalem is closing its doors after nearly 60 years of operation. The store, which stocks a wide variety of items joined together by a religious theme, has signs outside announcing that everything item is 40% to 80% off.
St. Jude Religious Store in Bensalem is closing its doors after nearly 60 years of operation. The store, which stocks a wide variety of items joined together by a religious theme, has signs outside announcing that everything item is 40% to 80% off.
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St. Jude Religious Stores is closing its final location's doors in Bensalem this month.

The Christian store is known for its wide variety of faith-based items, including a large selection of bibles, religious books, crucifixes, statues, pictures, portraits and sculptures of saints and other religious subjects. The store included items for religious sacraments and celebrations, including baptisms and Holy Communions.

The store's owner, Russ Davis, expects to shutter the business Aug. 26 after selling all of the store's inventory.

"We expect to sell pretty much everything," said Davis, who is retiring after operating the store for 25 years. It will be the fifth St. Jude location closed, said Davis, who has sequentially closed the stores in preparation for his retirement.

St. Jude Religious Stores once consisted of five locations. Owner Russ Davis has closed each location sequentially preparing for his retirement, which will follow the final location's closure this month in Bensalem.
St. Jude Religious Stores once consisted of five locations. Owner Russ Davis has closed each location sequentially preparing for his retirement, which will follow the final location's closure this month in Bensalem.

A Bucks County religious store with 'inspiring' origin and tradition

The history of St. Jude Religious Stores began in 1961 when Davis's father, Russel E. Davis, received a tuberculosis diagnosis. According to the store's website, Davis prayed at the time to Jude the Apostle, the patron saint of lost causes.

“The disease arrested its progress and never returned,” the younger Davis said. “(Dad) felt St. Jude was the reason he lived.”

Upon recovery, Davis opened the first St. Jude Religious Stores location in Mayfair in 1965, operating the business until his death in 1981. Four years later, the younger Davis and his wife, Debbie Davis took over ownership and have operated the store since.

"It's been good, you know, we help people out," said the younger Davis. "People come when they have problems, weddings, baptisms, when people are sick and dying."

St. Jude Religious Stores, which will close this month, first opened its doors in 1965 in Mayfair. The store's founder, Russell E. Davis, named the store after Jude the Apostle, whom he prayed to while recovering from a tuberculosis diagnosis he received in 1961.
St. Jude Religious Stores, which will close this month, first opened its doors in 1965 in Mayfair. The store's founder, Russell E. Davis, named the store after Jude the Apostle, whom he prayed to while recovering from a tuberculosis diagnosis he received in 1961.

Where to go now that St. Jude Religious Stores is closing

Tina Marie Wilcox has come to the store to buy various religious items for over 30 years, and was disheartened to see the store's closing signs because "you can't get this kind of stuff at any store."

"My family has gone through generations at this store. I bought both my kids' baptism stuff here, and now I'm doing my grandchildren's baptism stuff," Wilcox said. "My mother went here, my grandma went here and now it's me as a grandma doing it."

Anne Kelley said she comes from a very Catholic family and has 11 siblings, meaning there have been many first communions, baptisms and other religious events for her to attend and buy gifts and St. Jude shop was always the store she relied on.

"I started coming here when the Mayfair location was open, so it's very sad that the store is closing," said Kelley, who was looking for an Archangel Michael statue in her third trip to the store since the closing sale was announced. "I'm not usually someone who buys stuff online, so I'm not sure what the substitute is."

Davis said he's aware of such concerns. He recommends The Lord's Shop in Lansdale, a "smaller, but similar thing" for customers who wish to continue shopping at Christian stores once St. Jude closes.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: St. Jude Religious Store in Bensalem set to close