KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Opening a retail store in one of the worst economy's in decades never crossed the minds of those who were let go when East Tennessee based "Goody's" closed its doors in 2009.

But in part two of our series "Solace in Hard Times", we introduce you to two former employees who took their knowledge of business and retail, and their faith in God, to start a new chapter in their lives.

"It was definitely challenging. You're looking at it and one door is closing, and you really have to do an evaluation of what the future looks like."

Aaron Walters and Brian Mason are two of thousands who lost their jobs when "Goody's" closed.

Walters was Vice President of the men's division. Mason was a buyer for the company for two and a half years.

"Always there's some amount of concerns, you're wondering what's next? What's next for myself, for my family? What are we going to do," says Mason.

Both turned to their faith to find strength.

"In my walk with Christ. It's that daily prayer, staying focused and saying what are the things that are the basics, what are you going to do and take care of," says Mason

They decided to open "Altar'd State", a Christian retail store.

"The fear of starting this thing and going to banks and saying this has been put on our hearts to do this, most people looked at us like we were absolutely nuts," says Walters.

While it may have been a tough time to start a business, they put their full faith in the opportunity given to them.

"This is one of those situations where I chose to step through the door and it's been the best decision I've ever made in my life. Hands down," Walters says watching people enjoy the store has made the challenging experience worthwhile.

"It was like at that moment in time, God really said, this is why you're doing this. Pretty amazing. Pretty humbling for a kid from Sour Lake, TX, to be able to experience something like that."

They try not to worry about the future, they say they let God take control.

"You just have to take a step back and say here's what we're going to do. We're going to take it a day at a time as each struggle comes up or each opportunity, then you go through that period and you maximize it where you can," says Mason.

To learn more about Altar'd State, click on the link below.

We want to hear your stories. Visit Allison Kropff's blog about "Solace in Hard Times" to tell us where you turn.