For many families in the western United States, this will be the last Christmas they shop for gifts for their loved ones at their favourite store. Seagull Books, the leading discount retailer of Latter-day Saint (LDS) literature and merchandise, will close all of its locations by Christmas Eve. Known for its accessibility and great prices, this beloved retail chain will close its doors for good on December 24. In addition, it will also discontinue its clothing brand, Sweet Salt, which will be completely phased out.
Farewell to Discounts and Modest Clothing
After 38 years of serving the LDS community, Seagull Books will finally shut down on Christmas Eve. The parent company that absorbed these clothing chains, Deseret Book, officially confirmed the closure after making a long and difficult decision.
The market has changed, as have the preferences of the average consumer. That is why Deseret Book President Laurel Day explained that the discount business model used by Seagull Books no longer meets expectations. In the age of e-commerce, the advantage of being a brick-and-mortar retailer with good discounts is no longer sustainable from an economic standpoint. No matter how niche this store is, the highly competitive environment has made it unfeasible to keep the bookstore open.
Sweet Salt, more than “just clothes”
For LDS women, Sweet Salt was the brand they could always turn to. It was a safe bet, since each garment was adapted to the modest dress code of their religion. Why trawl through dozens of conventional clothing stores when they could pop into a Seagull Books store, browse the Sweet Salt section, and instantly find just the outfit they needed?
Sweet Salt midi and maxi dresses will remain staples in LDS closets, since this brand line was able to provide a trousseau for Sunday services, work, and family events.
Their modest blouses were also best sellers; they helped complete an appropriate outfit and ensure the necessary coverage under garments. Their light jackets and cardigans also offered an elegant and practical solution for quickly covering arms and shoulders. With the discontinuation of Sweet Salt, not only do we lose a great brand, but we will have to wait for other brands to fill the hole it leaves in our closets.
Why is Seagull Book closing down?
Both Sweet Salt and Seagull Books are part of a broader consolidation within Deseret Book. Seagull Books was founded by V. Lewis Kofford in 1987 as a store selling religious items at affordable prices. Although Deseret Book acquired the chain in 2006, it continued to operate under its discount brand, maintaining approximately 25 locations in Utah, Idaho, Arizona, and Nevada.
This includes Covenant Communications, the LDS fiction and nonfiction publishing division. Although new titles will no longer be published, its imprint will be absorbed internally by Deseret Book.
Unfortunately, with the closure of stores and the American Fork warehouse (located in Utah), 200 jobs will be lost, many of which were already part-time positions.
Although the LDS community is conservative, they are no strangers to online shopping. Online stores such as Amazon are able to offer lower prices without having to resort to rental and personnel costs. In addition, modest clothing fashion is booming like never before. Customers can turn to online platforms to find exactly what they are looking for, and influencers on apps such as Instagram and Pinterest connect an audience that wants to buy modest—but stylish—clothing with niche clothing brands that did not have contracts with retail stores.
This boom in independent direct-to-consumer brands has been made possible by platforms such as Instagram. These brands are able to sell products with lower operating margins, which appeal to shoppers who previously relied solely on chains such as Sweet Salt.
The closure of Sweet Salt is bittersweet, as it marks the end of an era in the commercial fabric of the western United States.