ABOVE: Goodnews Collective, located in the former Good News Bookstore in Fairmont, is set to open this Friday, Nov. 21. The space has been remodeled and refreshed and will offer curated faith-filled items.

FAIRMONT– After a few months of sprucing up the building and gathering thoughtfully curated merchandise, Goodnews Collective is set to open this Friday, Nov. 21.

Goodnews Collective is located at 114 E. 3rd Street in Fairmont, where Good News Bookstore was located for 79 years before long-time owner Glendon Olson retired and sold the business to Danielle and Corey Freitag in July of this year.

Danielle is co-founder of Action169, a non-profit dedicated to addressing commercial sexual exploitation and problematic substance use through Christ-centered prevention, intervention and holistic restoration care services. Goodnews Collective will operate under Action169’s umbrella.

After having a conversation with Olson about his pending retirement and the fate of the store, she felt a need to step in and ensure that a Christian bookstore remain in the community.

Since purchasing the building, the Freitags have done a lot of work, which has resulted in a space that is ‘bright, white and filled with warmth.’

“We put in brand new flooring and opened up the ceiling. We put in a brick wall,” Danielle said.

Just looking at the outside of the building is a night and day difference alone as while it was previously black, it’s now white.

“I really wanted a white building,” Danielle said.

There are wood and wicker accents throughout the space. The counter is new, as is all of the lighting, which was done by DeWar Electric. Danielle said they also transformed a previous office space into a children’s section.

Revamping the space has kept her busy over the last four months, but she’s also been carefully selecting items that are faith-focused.

True to the store at its roots, there are a variety of Christian books including Bibles, devotionals and journals. Danielle said that Olson left behind the tools needed to personally inscribe books as well.

“We have creative art supplies because we will be hosting workshops here,” Danielle said.

There are faith-related seasonal items and right now there are a lot of different Christmas ornaments out on display and for sale.

Other items include mugs, keychains, accessories, coffee and tea from Grace Farms, candles and curated vintage jewelry. Many of the handcrafted goods are from survivor artisans and ethical makers.

The space will also serve as home to Runway for Action formalwear.

For the past four years, Action169 has put on Runway for Action: Dresses for a Cause, which offers prom and other formal dresses, ofter designer, at a low price that helps support women overcoming the challenges of exploitation and addiction. It’s been located a few different places over the years but will now be set up annually in Goodnews Collective from January until June.

Finally, in addition to retail offerings, Goodnews Collective houses a dedicated Prayer House, which Danielle said is a quiet, welcoming space open to the community. The Prayer House will be open from 9 to 11 a.m. every Friday.

Danielle is excited for the business to open and for the people in the community to take advantage of its various offerings.

“We did a soft opening and just hearing people’s comments and their joy for there still being a Christian bookstore here. We want to really carry on what Glendon started by being able to provide faith-filled gifts and Bibles,” she said.

To start, Goodnews Collective will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Expanded hours will be added in 2026.

More information on the store and Action169 as a whole can be found online at action169.com.