Christian book store set to close

Tree of Life Christian Books and Gifts in Independence is closing. A trustee for the independently owned store’s foundation said its demise is due to an overall “tough retail climate today.”

Julie Gatrost, of Lee’s Summit, a trustee for the foundation that owns and operates the store at 18921 E. Valley View Parkway, cited several factors, including a sluggish economy and more online shoppers. However, one of the biggest reasons is that franchise-operated bookstores have started stocking Christian books and gifts.

“It’s kind of a mixed blessing, with an increase in demand, there are more mainstream than before,” she said.

The store had moved to Eastland Center a little more than two years ago from its previous location on 23rd Street near Lee’s Summit Road.

Gatrost said although a closing date has not been set, the store will remain open until the inventory is sold. Prices are discounted to 35 percent during the going-out-of-business sale, she said.

Learn to cook outdoors
The crackling of hot-burning campfire embers conjures images of communing with nature while hiking peaceful, tree-lined trails. The same crackling leads Dan and Bev Moore to consider baking a cake.

The Freeman, Mo., couple wants campers and outdoor enthusiasts to scrap the mindset that cooking over an open fire can only end in ladelsful of traditional cowboy fare, like mush and beans cooked in a rusty pot.

The couple suggests, why not slice, dice, then scoop out their Huckleberry version of Jambalaya, island chicken and rice, and pumpkin-crunch or Black Forest ribbon cake. The couple uses cast-iron pots that hang on metal racks over the flames.

Of all their open-fire recipes, cake is the most popular, especially with men.

“You’d be surprised how much fun guys have doing cakes,” Dan said. “Once you do a few things, you’re so confident, you can cook anything.”

“We just give you an idea of how unlimited it can be,” Bev added.

The owners of Huckleberry Hollow Campfire Cuisine will demonstrate cooking their gourmet dishes in a primitive setting this weekend at Bass Pro Shops in Independence. The demonstrations and samples will be offered at 10 and 11 a.m., 1 and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and again May 24 and 25. The demonstrations will be behind the store on the patio near the lake.

Dan will discuss the basics of cooking over an open fire, including how to build it from scratch, the cookware’s anatomy, care, cleaning and storing of the cowboy cookset. Bev will show the cast-iron cookware inside the store.

This is the first time the couple has demonstrated their cooking techniques for a crowd. They usually host team-building, buffet-style retreats for corporate employees from their 20-acre home site in Freeman.

The couple also hosts dinner, birthday and anniversary parties plus family reunions. The site includes a two-acre pond and dock. The couple agrees that most guests are surprised by what they’re able to cook outside.

“When we say on our brochure it’s gourmet, that’s what we mean,” Bev said.