With chain stores offering everything from groceries and gas to knobs and knick-knacks, Open Door Books is making a big impression by keeping it small. “We feel we have a unique bookstore,” said Mary Alice Mueller, a manager and co-founder of Open Door Books, 4761 Cass St., Pacific Beach residents seem to agree, naming it Best Bookstore in the Beach & Bay Press 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards. (Votes are currently being tallied for the 2010 awards.) Literally building on its success, Open Door Books has recently undergone a renovation. “We felt it was time to get with the new world,” Mueller laughed. The revamped environment includes new carpeting and a warmer, more dynamic color palette of oranges and corals. Bookcases were also removed to make the store feel more spacious and welcoming. “It was a time for a change to get modernized,” Mueller said. “We’ve tried to make it more inviting to encourage more local and young people to come in.” To engage and serve visitors, the bookstore is home to a monthly poetry group, as well as various book groups and readings. In the first reading since the remodel, Cmdr. Sheri Snively of San Diego recently discussed her book, “Heaven in the Midst of Hell,” which describes her experiences as a U.S. Navy chaplain in Iraq. Past author events have included Bishop John Shelby Spong, a Christian theologian and writer, and Michael Morwood, a former Catholic priest. “We’re a place for people who want to do a little exploring about their life and religion,” Mueller said. “We encourage thinking people.” While working together at a Christian service agency, Mueller and Open Door Books co-founder Pat Guest envisioned a bookstore that included and welcomed all faiths. Open Door is adjacent to Christ Lutheran Church but is nondenominational. “We don’t feature any one particular religion but all of them,” Mueller said. Though the store offers a wide assortment of spiritual books, readers can also find the latest bestsellers there. “We’re small so you can find it much easier,” Mueller said. In addition to variety and religious neutrality, Open Door is committed to focusing on local authors and artists. Visitors to the bookstore may not only leave with books, but original art, too. The bookstore is currently featuring the paintings of San Diego artist Midge Hyde. “Her work is very eclectic,” Mueller said. While Mueller and her fellow managers Cyndi Rollefson and Carolyn Lief are committed to serving the local community, they also have a broader purpose. “Our mission is to help others,” Mueller said. The nonprofit bookstore is run by volunteers and features gifts created by individuals living in impoverished countries. In addition to fair trade coffee, Open Door offers crafts and art from Exotic World Gifts, including paintings created by elephants. Organic, fairly-traded gourmet chocolate from Equal Exchange, which supports small-scale farmers in such regions as the Dominican Republic, Panama and Madagascar, also is available. The bookstore also features soup mixes and other products from the Tomorrow Project, an organization that assists women in transition. A portion of proceeds go to SERVE, an international group that provides relief to struggling individuals and communities. For more information, including upcoming events, visit www.opendoorbks.com or call (858) 270-8642.