Crafters, grab your glue guns and BeJewelers.
Hobby Lobby Creative Centers, one of the nation's largest arts and crafts retailers, confirmed Tuesday that it will enter the Utah market this year. The Oklahoma City-based company said it is in the process of renovating a portion of the old Granite Furniture building at 1080 N. Main in Layton and plans to open for business in early summer.
John Schumacher, vice president of advertising for Hobby Lobby Creative Centers, said the Layton store likely won't be the company's last in Utah.
"Over the next two to three years, we hope to open another five to six additional locations in the greater Salt Lake area," Schumacher said.
Sites and locations are still being determined.
Details about the Layton store are coming together, however. According to permits filed in January with Layton City, Hobby Lobby plans to renovate a little more than 58,000 square feet of the 87,480-square-foot building, with a "moment wall" separating the store from the remaining vacant space. Another retailer already has expressed interest in the space, said Gayla Thompson, Layton commercial and residential development coordinator. Nothing has been formally announced regarding a second tenant.
Specifics regarding the store's design aren't yet available. But Schumacher said Hobby Lobby stores typically carry about 40,000 items, plus a varied array of seasonal merchandise, furniture and home accent items. Each store usually employs 40 to 60 workers.
Founded in 1972 by David Green, Hobby Lobby now has 371 stores in 28 states, Schumacher said. This year, the company plans to open or announce 25 new stores, all within 1,000 miles of Oklahoma City.
In 2005, Hobby Lobby posted $1.5 billion in sales, and it projects $1.65 billion in sales this year.
E-mail: jnii@desnews.com