Have you ever sat in church and wondered where they get things like baptismal fonts, pews and

Have you ever sat in church and wondered where they get things like baptismal fonts, pews and chalices? If the church is in the Youngstown area, there's a good chance they came from JMJ Spiritual Connection.
While raising their children in Twinsburg, Dorajean and Ronald Havrilla saw the need for a store selling religious supplies to churches and the general public.
After dabbling in Twinsburg politics (she lost the race for Twinsburg mayor by nine votes), Dorajean Havrilla decided she would open a store to meet that need.
The Havrillas opened a store in Twinsburg in 1994 and the Cornersburg store in 1996. They closed the Twinsburg store three years ago and moved to the Youngstown area.
"When we first opened here, there weren't a lot of [religious] stores in the area, so we didn't have a lot of trouble getting customers. After a couple years, other stores opened, but since then, most of them have closed. It's a tough business. Your margins aren't big; you don't make a lot of profit," she said.
In addition to the general public, the store serves about 150 churches, including many customers in Twinsburg.
What you'll find there
Candles, books, vestments, pastor and choir robes, vacation Bible school curriculum, greeting cards, rosaries, crosses, wedding invitations, Bibles and framed religious pictures are some of the items available in the store. Larger items that churches typically order, such as pews and other furnishings, can be ordered from a catalog.
Ronald Havrilla said their busiest seasons are the Communion season, which starts around February and runs through May, and Christmas, which starts before Thanksgiving and runs through January. He also said they have sold many saints candles since the war in Iraq began because people buy them to burn for their sons or daughters in the military.
The Havrillas said the biggest challenge they've faced with the store is the name. JMJ stands for Jesus Mary Joseph, and some customers didn't understand.
"Protestant, evangelical and nondenominational churches didn't understand why we named it after the holy family, but once we explained our reason, it was fine," said Dorajean. "We dedicated the store to the preservation of the family."
Explaining the name
The Bible passage embossed on their business card, Ephesians 6:1-4, describes the parent-child relationship and is the reasoning behind the name, they said.
Dorajean Havrilla said the name Spritual Connection is also misleading to some people, who think the store sells New Age products.
"We're a Christian-based store, so all our products are Christian," she said.