Construction and renovation work has started on the new Hobby Lobby store at the former Kroger on South Illinois Avenue, and workers are pictured above at the site of the new store on Wednesday, June 15, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 11:25 a.m.
Hobby Lobby plans to open its Oak Ridge store in early October, the company said Wednesday.
The new store is opening in the 63,000-square-foot former Kroger building at the intersection of South Illinois and Rutgers avenues. Construction and renovations have already started.
The national craft and home decor retailer said the store will create about 35-50 jobs paying $15.35 per hour for full-time workers and $10.23 per hour for part-time employees.
The Oak Ridge store will be the 23rd Hobby Lobby store in Tennessee, a press release said. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. is a privately held national retail chain.
“Once you visit Hobby Lobby, you will see that we are very unique, offering the widest variety of merchandise in the craft and home decor market under one roof,” said John Schumacher, assistant vice president of advertising. “We’re tremendously excited about becoming a part of the Oak Ridge community.”
Hobby Lobby has more than 700 stores across the country.
Each store has more than 75,000 crafting and home decor products, including floral, fabric, needle art, custom framing, baskets, home accents, wearable art, arts and crafts, jewelry making, scrapbooking, and paper crafting supplies, the press release said.
Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. All Hobby Lobby stores are closed on Sunday.
Hobby Lobby is a based in Oklahoma City, and the company started as Greco, a miniature picture frame company in 1970.
“When David Green moved his business from the family garage to a 300-square-foot retail space in 1972, Hobby Lobby was born,” the press release said. “It is not the nation’s largest privately owned arts and crafts retailer.”
Visit hobbylobby.com for more information about the company, download the mobile app, or follow the company on Facebook at facebook.com/hobbylobby.
The new Hobby Lobby store is one of a string of new businesses or developments announced, started, or completed this year. Although there have also been a few business closings, the new businesses announced, completed, or started this year include Calhoun’s restaurant on Melton Lake Peninsula, a new ORNL Federal Credit Union branch on Rutgers Avenue, TownePlace Suites on Rutgers Avenue near JCPenney, Panda Express at the former Ruby Tuesday, Sears Hometown Store on Fairbanks Road, and Main Street Oak Ridge at the former Oak Ridge Mall, where eight new stores have been announced. A local business, Countryside Tire and Auto Service, plans to move its business from Brisbane Road to the former Keeping Room on Rutgers Avenue, near Main Street Oak Ridge, and Navarro Research and Engineering has purchased the former Tech 2020 building in Commerce Park. Also, Crafter’s Brew Market and Social has been announced on Oak Ridge Turnpike, and Secret City Spirits was announced next to United Grocery Outlet. Swifty’s Atomic Bar and Grill has opened at the former Lincoln’s Sports Grille on South Illinois Avenue, and so has Fast Pace Urgent Care on South Illinois Avenue.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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