Hobby Lobby has signed a lease at the former Kroger store on South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge, the company said Thursday, April 14, 2016. The company plans to start renovating the property around the beginning of June. The store is projected to open in September. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Hobby Lobby has signed a lease at the former Kroger store in Oak Ridge, the company said Thursday.
The company plans to start renovating the property around the beginning of June. The store is projected to open in September.
Hobby Lobby expects to hire 35 to 50 employees with full-time employees earning at least $15.35 and part-time employees earning at least $10.23 an hour.
“Hobby Lobby is constantly looking for locations to better serve our customers, and this location in Oak Ridge seems to fit the bill,” said Bob Miller, Hobby Lobby communications coordinator.”We look forward to getting the store up and running and being a part of the community. Including the Oak Ridge location, Hobby Lobby plans to open 50 stores this year.”
The former Kroger store is in a shopping center at the intersection of South Illinois Avenue and South Rutgers Avenue. Kroger moved to a new shopping center at North Illinois Avenue and Oak Ridge Turnpike in June 2014, and the former store space has been vacant since then.
The new Hobby Lobby store would be relatively close to Main Street Oak Ridge, the proposed redevelopment of the former Oak Ridge Mall on the other side of South Illinois Avenue.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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Sam Hopwood says
Woo Hoo !! Welcome Hobby Lobby. You will do well in OR. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Main Street remains eerily silent. Oh well, nothing new there.
Ray Evans says
A revised Main Street subdivision plat is on the Planning Commission Agenda this month. All part of the process.
Dave Smith says
What you’re saying is that there is, in fact, something new there.
Thanks for the update.
Mark Caldwell says
Hooray Main Street.