Shoppers Balance Beliefs, Business

Jenny Caro, who owns Jewelry by Design in Woodbridge with her husband, John, said she upholds Christian values by offering the same fair prices all the time -- unlike stores that mark up their merchandise and then offer sales to make it seem as though customers are getting a good deal.

"Misrepresenting is stealing. We don't play the game," she said in an interview in her store, where a copy of the Ten Commandments hangs outside the stockroom.

Caro said that she has advertised in the Shepherd's Guide for about 15 years and that it generates business among Christians who may be looking for specific items, such as chastity rings.

The rings -- often emblazoned with crosses, hearts and unopened roses -- come with pledge cards that allow the wearers to make a vow of sexual abstinence. "If they go to a regular jewelry store and ask for chastity rings, they get laughed out of the store," Caro said.

As a Christian, she said, she brings understanding and sensitivity to those kinds of sales.

Minnie Campbell, who owns the You're Beautiful salon in College Park, also believes her business has a special mission. Some may think she's just cutting and styling hair, but she feels that she is touching souls when she talks to her customers about matters of faith -- and that they are looking for that kind of relationship.

"If you have the love from God, you can help people," she said. "I love the money. I need it. But more than anything, I get to help people from hurting."

Other advertisers in the guide do not see themselves acting as deacons outside the church.

Jack Kim, owner of Jack's Auto Body in Falls Church, said he is being Christian simply by offering honest service. His ad brings in many customers who worry about getting cheated by other auto repair shops, and that fear is justified, he said. "I try to do my best to be as cheap as possible and good as possible and to be more honest," he said.

But Frank Grayton, a plumber who has advertised his District business in the Shepherd's Guide for about five years, said he charges standard prices for the high-quality service he provides. That comes as a disappointment to many shoppers who have seen his ad and assumed that a Christian business would be less expensive, he said.

"I think some people come with these expectations," he said. "We are more expensive than the guy with a tool belt and equipment in the back of his truck."

Grayton said that doesn't make him less of a Christian.