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KEARNEY — Carlie Nelson never expected to purchase a business. Now, she’s happily filling up the pages of a new chapter in her life.
In February, she purchased The Solid Rock, a Christian bookstore at 1010 Third Ave. On Tuesday, she will celebrate with a grand opening, starting with a ribbon-cutting from 9-9:10 a.m. and followed by cupcakes, book signings and all-day sales of Bibles, books and artwork.
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Just a few months ago, Nelson couldn’t have imagined owning The Solid Rock. She has worked there since 2012 when it was owned by Bill and Ila Ballou and located at 2010 Central Avenue.
But in February, co-owner Linda Muhlbach called Nelson into her office. Muhlbach and her husband Dan had purchased the store in 2019, and now, they were retiring.
“Carlie, I’ve been praying. I feel like I’m supposed to talk to you about selling you the store,” Muhlbach told Nelson.
Nelson was dumbfounded. “I think I’m going to have to pray about that,” she replied.
She went home and prayed. She prayed again. She thought about the discipleship class she was taking at Spirit of Life Open Bible Church. The theme of that class was the armor of God.
Carlie Nelson, left, the new owner of The Solid Rock, can’t say enough about her eight employees, including the newest, DeAnn Psota, right.
She recalled some notes she had jotted down in the back of her Bible not long after she found Jesus 12 years ago. “I had written, ‘Lord, will I own the Solid Rock one day?’ I had forgotten it was there. When I found that, it was one more confirmation that this was what the Lord wanted me to do,” she said.
She saw more signs. In her earlier life, Nelson had worked a variety of jobs. She’d been a waitress and a clerk in a convenience store. She had worked for trucking companies.
In 2011, she was unemployed and drifting when she had her spiritual re-awakening. Greg Mast, then the pastor at Spirit of Life Open Bible Church, told her The Solid Rock was hiring. “He told me that his wife worked there. He said they needed people to work in the mornings, so I applied,” she said.
She was hired. She happily settled in. She was still there in 2019, when the Ballous, who had opened the Solid Rock at 2010 Central Ave in 1974, sold it to the Muhlbachs, who moved it south to its current location on Feb. 7, 2022.
Now, that bookstore is hers.
Brandi Thornburg, director of social media at The Solid Rock, keeps track of the inventory, including popular children’s books.
So peaceful
Nelson can’t hide her enthusiasm for the store and its eight employees. “It’s so much more peaceful than any other job I’ve had,” she said.
The store carries Bibles, spiritual books, greeting cards, calendars, CDs, wall plaques, stationery, pictures, jewelry and more.
“We have the best customers in the whole wide world. We have incredible employees, people I get to work with. We listen to Christian music. We’re surrounded by so many people and things pointing you to the Lord,” she said.
Since taking ownership, she has several new vendors and has given the store what she called a “slightly more spiritual” feel. It’s roughly two-thirds the size of the previous one on Central Avenue, but its lower ceiling and white shelves make it cozier and more inviting.
She likes the new location, too.
“There are so many restaurants in this area. We are near the interstate and many motels, so we have a lot of foot traffic. We have a lot of new customers, and, thankfully, still the loyal customers we’ve always had,” she said.
Along with preparing for Tuesday’s grand opening, she has been busy this spring providing books, Bibles, gifts and other merchandise for spring celebrations such as Easter, Mother’s Day, graduations, First Communions and confirmations. Father’s Day items are on display now.
In addition to Christian books, The Solid Rock offers inspirational jewelry and gift items.
The Solid Rock also does a segment every Tuesday on NTV’s “The Good Life.” That’s one of the reasons the grand opening will be held on a Tuesday, Nelson said.
The 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting is a private Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce event, but when shop doors open at 10, giveaways and cupcakes from Small Cakes will be waiting.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. three local authors will sign books. Leslie Means will sign “So God Made a Mother” along with one of its contributing writers, Sarah Luke. Jamie Dubas, whose pen name is M.J. Sarge, will sign her new book, “Child in a Bottle.”
Throughout the day, books, Bibles and artwork will be on sale. Sneak peeks can be found on The Solid Rock’s Facebook page and its website.
As she prepares for the big day, Nelson is excited. “I love The Solid Rock. I enjoy working there very much,” she said.
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