Hobby Lobby facts for kids
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Hobby Lobby store in Onalaska, Wisconsin
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Formerly
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Hobby Lobby Creative Centers |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | August 3, 1972, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Founder | David Green |
| Headquarters |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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1,001 |
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Area served
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United States |
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Key people
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| Products | Arts and crafts supplies |
| Revenue |  $7.9 billion 2023 |
| Owner | Green family |
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Number of employees
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46,000+ (2025) |
Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. is an American company that sells arts and crafts supplies. It used to be called Hobby Lobby Creative Centers. The company has over 1,000 stores across the United States. It made more than $7.9 billion in sales in 2023.
The Green family started Hobby Lobby. They wanted the company to reflect their Christian beliefs. This means the stores follow certain family values.
Contents
How Hobby Lobby Started and Grew
Early Days of the Craft Store
In 1972, a man named David Green opened the very first Hobby Lobby store. It was located in Oklahoma City. Before this, Green worked as a supervisor at a store called TG&Y.
He opened a second Hobby Lobby store in Oklahoma City in 1975. The next year, he opened another store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. By the middle of 1982, Hobby Lobby had grown to seven stores. The first store outside Oklahoma opened in 1984.
Focusing on Arts and Crafts
In the early 1980s, David Green tried selling other things. These included furniture and fancy cookware. But this led to the company losing money. So, he decided to focus mainly on arts and crafts again.
By late 1992, Hobby Lobby had 50 stores. These stores were spread across seven different U.S. states.
Company Values and Employee Pay
Hobby Lobby is owned by a family with strong Christian beliefs. David Green has said that the company tries to "Honor the Lord in all we do." This means they run the company based on principles from the Bible.
One example of this is that all Hobby Lobby stores are closed on Sundays. Signs on the doors explain this. They say it allows employees time for family and worship.
Hobby Lobby has also worked to pay its employees well. In 2014, the company set its full-time minimum hourly wage at $15. On October 1, 2020, this wage was raised to $17 per hour. Then, on January 1, 2022, it went up again to $18.50 per hour for full-time workers. The minimum wage for part-time employees also increased by 18% to $13 per hour. Hobby Lobby has raised its minimum wage many times over the years.
How Hobby Lobby Operates
Store Locations and Size
As of 2023, Hobby Lobby has 1,001 stores. You can find their stores in almost every U.S. state. The only states without a Hobby Lobby are Alaska and Hawaii.
Hobby Lobby often looks for large buildings to rent. These might be old supermarkets, hardware stores, or Kmart stores. Renting older buildings helps Hobby Lobby save money. They can save 50% to 70% compared to building new stores. This helps them stay competitive in the arts and crafts business.
Their stores are quite large, some up to 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) (about 8,361 square meters). They attract customers from a wide area, usually within 10–15-mile (16–24 km) (16-24 kilometers) around the store.
Unique Checkout System
Hobby Lobby uses a different system for checking out customers. Unlike most stores, they do not use barcodes. Instead, cashiers manually type in the prices of items. This is unusual for a large retail chain.
