A Hobby Lobby just opened in our area. I'm curious when you say, "no Hobby Lobby". I ventured in and found it to be a mix of Michael's, AC Moore, Joann's Fabrics, TJ Maxx and Marshall's. They do have a very nice fabric and notion department and as far as fabric, their prices are reasonable. They also have a good amount of sales help, which is great. Most of the time I order my fabric online at fabricguru because I hate going to our local Joann's fabric (and the prices are way better online). Joann's never has more than 2-3 people working. You have to wait a looong time for any assistance, which is frustrating.

Hobby Lobby also has an on-line site you can order from. ;o)

I discovered Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago. The closest one is an hour away and I have been known to drive all that way just to go there. They have a fantastic selection of decorative items including artwork, furniture, accessories, fabrics, crafts, etc. and I find their prices extremely reasonable and the quality good. Simply put, they have things available that nobody else does, and the choices are definitely not limited. I love Hobby Lobby!

I "LOVE" Hobby Lobby! They have 90% off sales twice a year! I think a lot of people like buying "old" treasures and not getting "made in China" heirloom reproductions. I'll have to admit I was sorely disappointed when I reupholstered a ball & clawfoot chair and found a made in China tag on the mahogany frame. :0)

I used to frequent hobby lobby when I lived in TX and was thrilled when one opened nearby recently (same on as mrs. marv). I think they also have a GREAT selection of off the shelf picture frames, much better than any other store, especially their open back, no glass frames - AND they sell glass + backer SUPER reasonably (a few dollars in standard sizes). I have a lot of stuff that I have wanted to frame for a while but just refused to pay custom framing prices and have not been thrilled with the off the shelf options.

I also picked up some BEAUTIFUL shatterproof ornaments yesterday. You would not know they are not glass unless you go looking for the seam. They came out with these just in time as I have an 18 month old son and now I don't have to have a "kid" looking tree but at the same time I don't have to worry about him getting hurt.

And I agree, the salespeople are super friendly and helpful there.

I have yet to shop at our local HL (30 minutes away) but my daughter loves it!

kgwlisa - Could you post a photo or link of the ornaments you bought? I have been wanting to add some glass looking ornaments to my tree, but was afraid of breakage. My JRT loves to snoop around the gifts. (Last year, she got into one of the gift bags that my mom had made for my children. Along with the chocolate candy the dog was after, there were rolled up $100 bills. Luckily, the bills were not disturbed before I found the destruction. I've asked my mom to please send checks from now on. I had no idea we had all that cash under the tree. )

Why no Hobby Lobby? It's just a status thing, as in "If it's not old, it has no worth". Some are always on the lookout for things that are unique and I have no problem with that. It's when they instruct others, that they must do the same, that it starts sounding a little highbrow.

Different strokes and all that jazz.

IMO, decorating like in life has different classes of folks. and the common (or lack there of) demoninator is $$$$. But also decorating savy (or lack there of) definitely plays a part in the end result.

People with lots of money and means clearly have more options (or at least better options :)

(a) they have no vision so they hire a decorator spend a wad of money and depending of course how good the decorator is and what budget is allowed, end up with a great room

(b) they have the vision/style for what they want, but dont have the time/energy, so they hire a decorator, "help" them decorate, end up with their dream rooms

(c) they do it themselves without regard for a budget and end up with a similar result from above.

(d) they do it themselves, are also frugal but have "secret" decorating sources that most folks dont know about and are able to buy the high end stuff at a discount and end up with great rooms!

Either option above results more or less the same, great rooms, great furnishings with great style.

On the other hand

You have the more average incomer who might fall into one of these categories

(a) they have no vision and no money, so they live in what they find to be comfortable, albeit poorly decorated homes, making due with hand me downs, yard sale and thrift store finds.

(b) they have a decorating vision (or even some part of it), minimal money, so they shop antique stores, estate sales, thrift stores, HOBBY LOBBY, TJ Maxx, Tuesday Mornings, etc. This results in several good pieces of furniture, a hodge podge of assesories, but overall an nice eclectic looking well decorated home.

(c) they have a decorating vision, but are frugal with spending their money, so they purchase select items from a variety of sources and end up with well decorated, coordinated rooms with lots of character and style. (these homes mimic the "inspiration" homes and are 1/4 the price :)

So as you can see from the analogy above, it really doesnt matter in the end whether you shop at Kirklands, TJ Maxx, Hobby Lobby and that sort OR you only shop at Horchow et al, If you love the end result and you are happy with it I seriously doubt anyone will be checking your price tags :)

Patty cakes, I don't believe HL has an online store. If they do can you send the link?

Depends on what you're looking for. I shop HL for great deals on ribbon, cookie tins, picture frames, and some craft supplies.

newhomebuilder, no link to the ornaments but I took a couple of pictures of the prettiest ones still in package so the pictures are not the greatest. If you google shatterproof ornaments it seems like everyone has them from sears to macy's to home depot to target and walmart and kmart. All different price points. The ones I am putting pictures of were between $4-5 for a set of 4 (they are marked at twice that but were 50% off at hobby lobby). I have been looking at so many of these that I am returning some I bought earlier before I saw the difference in how some look.

about whether it's OK to shop at Hobby Lobby or any other store - beauty is where you find it. I find it just as silly to totally dismiss an entire store out of hand as it is to buy everything in your house at one store. Then again, i don't decorate to impress anyone but myself. It's nice if others appreciate my vision but if they don't, no skin off my nose. I have to live with the space and they don't ;).

Where do you live that the Hobby Lobby has friendly help and plenty of it? My Hobby Lobby has the longest checkout lines ever, usually with someone in Floral standing there watching. Normal check out lane wait is 7 plus people and ~~10 minutes.

Another of my peeves is that they don't scan anything and that the checkout gal needs to know what is on sale that week. I also think they don't scan because it is hard to return items when you aren't sure which receipt matches the item because you don't know the price. Our cashiers used to add items up in their head and ring that price. Example 10 craft items at 25 cents would be rung as $2.50. Try to take one back without a receipt that has an item for 25 cents. When I was a scout leader Hobby Lobby used to frustrate me to no end.

Hobby Lobby gives their local managers the ablility to call many shots in there store which means that policies change. One manager had the policy that no yellow tag (markdown) items could be returned. Of course they didn't tell you that at checkout. Another manager would do 1/2 off clearance, etc sales. I loved that in the fabric dept.; the current one doesn't. Not all stores do the 90% off sales, it's up to the manager.

I feel better now! I do like shopping there but I don't feel like they truly appreciate the customer.

Hobby Lobby - don't get me started. Like rnmomof2, I think the store is poorly run. No upc codes - is this 1978? If something is on sale, the cashier has to check the giant ad before they give you the mark down. Depending on the attitude and competence of the cashier, trying to get something on sale may be an unpleasant experience. In our store, the return policy is archaic. Everything is done by hand and you have to wait for the manager to sign off on your return. Our Hobby Lobby has a lot of schlocky resin accessories but it is the only place in town for a great selection of craft stuff.

I love Hobby Lobby, but we don't have it here on the East Coast. We already have Michael's and AC Moore. I think they are all about the same. We have noticed that the Michael's stores in more rural areas are better and better stocked.

If the store is poorly run, have your tried contacting the headquarters office with your complaint?

Sorry - to Skyla, the OP on your question - if you were asking why people don't mention HL when they share decorating ideas, I agree with rjinga - she said it all.

I think I've been guilty of dissing HL at least once in this forum. Our local store seems to be filled to overflow capacity with the "resin accessories" mentioned above, and that stuff just doesn't appeal to me personally. Also, at our particular store, the aisles are so incredibly narrow and usually clogged with people and carts (because the store isn't roomy enough for all the stuff they've crammed into it) that you can't even get by, making seeing what's on those shelves an exercise in futility.

HL is a privately held organization owned by a man (I think it's David Green, I'm not sure tho) who consorts with and contributes money to Jerry Falwell's ministries and initiatives. IMO Falwell is a hate monger, and actively tries to repeal women's reproductive rights and prevent marriage equality in the US, and I won't support businesses who contribute to what are, again, IMO, regressive and repressive practices.

sandyponder

I won't shop there, either. We don't have one in my area (we are probably too liberal here in Charlottesville, VA). :)

Then again, I won't shop at Walmart because I don't agree with some of their corporate practices and I won't shop at Christmas Tree Shoppes because it's pretty much the northeast's equivalent of Hobby Lobby.

Those stores are chock full of Chinese made junk. Not that other stores don't have items made in China, but those three seem to stock items that have traveled around the world. It's so wasteful and I think our comfort with the consumption of cheap goods is hurting our economy. I'd rather pay a bit more to shop at a local "mom and pop" than deal with the highway, fields of parking lots, massive lines, and mountains of stuff at those stores.

BTW, that gift was $10 million to Liberty University/Falwell Ministries, which has funded the massive expansion of that school. They don't think there's a such thing as a college being "too big" and want 25,000+ students going to school in the little town of Lynchburg, VA. The town has evolved a lot since that gift was made...not necessarily for the better.

Sandyponder, are you serious? Wow - that seals it for me then. I'll never set foot in another HL, if that is indeed true. (Might explain why they're closed on Sundays ...)

Thanks kgwlisa!

I guess I will have to go check this store out for myself. My daughter likes it! She bought some ribbon there to tie the wedding programs. I didn't care for the ribbon, so she returned it with no problem. Ended up getting our ribbon at Michael's, which also has 10 minute line waits. I am not sure who/what religion Michael's supports. :)

My DH will not shop at WalMart or Sam's Club, but his does allow me too. :)

Sorry, jeannine - I completely skimmed over your post with more info on the Falwell connection after reading Sandy's! You ladies are both correct. A quick online search produced page after page of articles re the connection.

We do not have the problems with long lines at our local Hobby Lobby, and I enjoy purchasing craft and home decor items there. Personally, as a Christian, I love going into the store and seeing crosses and christian merchandise for sale, as well as listening to soothing christian music while I shop. And it doesn't bother me a bit that they are closed on Sunday. Sundays are family days for us and we spend the day with family and friends after church anyway.

When there is a local mom & pop store that carries handmade shatterproof ornaments that are not a danger to my toddler then I'd gladly shop there for them. Fortunately life is not an "all or nothing" proposition. Just because I shop at Hobby Lobby does not mean I don't shop at local stores when they have what I am looking for. We frequent local businesses all the time but sometimes need things at the big box stores too. I do enjoy a good nose-turning-up at those who do shop at the big boxes though. :)

As far as where the money goes, I am quite sure that if I were to trace down where every dollar I spend goes (in the infinite free time I have when I am not chasing said toddler), it would go LOTS of places I would not personally support. I'm sure that countless dollars that I've spent have gone to hookers paid for by high salaried executives and I am indirectly supporting exploitation of women. I'm sure that people pulling salaries in all kinds of corporations that get my dollars contribute to all kinds of places I disagree with. Crap, in my own state my TAX dollars have gone to pay for prostitutes. As long as someone is not doing something illegal with the money that they earn or earning it in an illegal way, I don't really care what they do with it. I believe it is their right to do what they wish with the money they have earned legitimately. Just my own tolerance for stuff I guess.

Oh and my experience returning stuff was pain free. None of the craft stores around here have scanners - they all enter prices in by hand so that aspect doesn't bother me. The manager did sign the receipt but he did it after my whole part was done, there was no waiting around for him to come and sign it before it was processed. All in all it took a couple of minutes.

Maybe it's just that we are much more friendly and customer service oriented here in NY than y'all are down south, lol.

kwglisa, I guess we live in the same state, cuz some of my tax $$ has gone to hookers too...and ITA that one can't trace the circuitious route taken by our hard earned dollars, but I can keep track of who gets my firsthand (if you will) dollars, and HL isn't going to be on that list, neither is Wal-Mart, Christmas Tree Shop or even locally owned businesses who try to thump a religious book in my feminist face.

But everyone's mileage varies, and we all do what we can to make our peace with the choices we make.

Have fun with your toddler, soon s/he will be an 11 year old who will eagerly provide you with a Word document list of [expensive] holiday gift requests that they absolutely, positively *need*. Ask me how I know...

sandyponder

Haha, I would be utterly surprised if it took all the way to 11 to do that. We sort of halfheartedly started the signing thing (just one sign for getting up from the table) and he made up his OWN sign for ... you guessed it, "i want." That chubby little finger pointing at the other chubby little palm is just so cute but I know this is just the beginning.

It's nice to agree to disagree without nastiness though. I totally agree that we all have to make peace with our own choices. Progress, not perfection :). I live in a small village where I have become friendly with the local business owners I frequent and we are extremely involved in our community. But I also enjoy a nice, clean, bright, neat, well priced source for some of the things I can't elsewhere. Different strokes...

... we all have to make peace with our own choices.

'zactly! We each have our own reasons by which we arrive at our own choices! That doesn't make us right or wrong ... it just means we view things differently.

I don't think this is the place to discuss the political and religious leanings of anyone and if you don't like Hobby Lobby -for those reasons- keep it to yourself. There's plenty of places I don't shop for all the reasons you do and vice versa but this is not the place to discuss those topics, ever.

Hobby Lobby has plenty of merchandise we can argue over and that's enough Hot Topics for the Home Decorating forum.

Auntjen, yes, it is a Christian 'based' store. The owner of the store has written a book about how it all came about and most of the profits ARE donated to a 'Christian based organization'. The store is closed on Sunday, and one of the things I noticed at Halloween was there were no gouhlish or monster type decorations~must have to do with the fact it's considered a Pagan holiday. Not a tombstone in sight! LOL

I mainly purchase silks, ribbon, fabric, paint, and look only at the sale merchandise since I really don't need anything and HATE that resin stuff(thank's AUNT JEN), but don't get me started on that. ;o)

HL had their autumn decorations, etc on sale for 66% off, and I got JUST the perfect golden/orangy/yellow candle for my mantle and also some very nice burgundy candles for a wall candleobera (sp) they were a whooping $1.37 each and they are pillars AND they have a beveled? scalloped like design on them, so they are even more pretty, what a deal. I found several other items in this sale that will be nice for some new things I'm decorating.

OK, bumblebeez - you're right. Forget I said anything. Let's just go back to where all I said was that I didn't care for HL because it's all crowded and resiny in there.
;-)

There must be something in the air today. I've seen this drama on at least four other threads on two separate forums, lol.

I don't think anyone was implying that if you shop at the store, you're a bad person. The OP was asking why some people don't like the place. Responses came in.

BTW, having grown up in an area with "Blue Laws", I'm still surprised by how Sunday is a "business as usual" day for most. I didn't associate Blue Laws with religion...I thought they were in place to give the New Jersey people a break from all the NYC folks who come out to our malls to shop on the weekend (lower taxes, no tax on clothing in NJ). :)

Jeannine, i'm not familiar with 'blue laws', but I find it a nice idea for a store to be closed on Sunday to allow the employees a day of worship or spend a day w/family. Whether or not this is what they choose do do is their business.

I can remember when stores closed on Sat. at 5PM and were not open at all on Sundays. I live in Austin, and that rule seems to follow for a lot of shop owners. There are enough days/nights of the week for people to shop, without Sunday included~just my 2 cents after having worked in retail 20+ years. ;o)

Patty, I can remember those days too, but back then life didn't move as fast as it does today. Some people don't have enough time during the week; weekends become their only shopping days.

I remember well the blue laws here in Texas. In many stores that were open on Sunday, you couldn't buy certain things. I remember in my younger days wanting to buy one of those 4-packs of Libby glasses at the grocery store, and being unable to because it was one of the items subject to the "can't touch this on Sunday" laws. It seemed to be the weirdest stuff that you couldn't buy too. I mean, iced tea glasses! Gee whiz!

I don't know if any of those laws are still in effect here. I do seem to recall that you couldn't buy a car on Sunday. Even if the dealership was open, you couldn't purchase a car on that particular day. (And this was just a few years ago -- not sure if the law is still in effect today.)

In NJ, the Blue Laws allow for the purchase of necessities. So, the stationary store around the corner from my church could sell the Sunday paper and my brothers and I could spend our allowances on candy or comics (I guess candy was considered food...ha!), but you weren't supposed to purchase office supplies. The drug store and supermarket put plastic sheeting over certain items. This was all in the 80s.

By the time I was a teenager, the Blue Laws were relaxed a bit. In the 90s, I remember going home for a weekend in college and being surprised that the bookstore was open.

But, the massive Garden State Plaza (a HUGE mall that is a draw for NYCers), the other malls, and Ikea are all closed on Sunday in NJ. It's actually very nice to think that all those hourly wage earners who work in those places get a consistent day off to relax and be with family.

Sunday is the only day my mother will use the highway in the town where all the malls are. The rest of the week, she stays on back roads because the traffic is so bad!

Many stores have self imposed blue laws. Very religious Jews will be closed on Saturdays and open on Sundays because Saturday is the Sabbath. I agree about it being a nice thing, whatever your religion, to have at least one day on a weekend that you can plan on being off consistently. Not everyone has the luxury of working for a municipality, school, bank or credit union (although their days and hours have gone in the sh!tt@r). And I don't care how fast paced we've become as a society. Enough! Everyone needs a break and you shouldn't have to beg to have a day off on a weekend. Makes for a nicer world.

"I don't think this is the place to discuss the political and religious leanings of anyone and if you don't like Hobby Lobby -for those reasons- keep it to yourself. There's plenty of places I don't shop for all the reasons you do and vice versa but this is not the place to discuss those topics, ever."

I agree.

btw, Jerry is dead.

I agree this is not the place for this discussion.

But it made me wonder what would happen if I stated on this forum that I wouldn't shop at a certain store because it supported a different religion (other than Christianity). I'd be cruicified (pardon the pun) and called intolerant. Intolerance is not a one way street.

BTW there is no longer state sales tax on clothes in NY either and many counties have lifted theirs as well, at least below a certain threshold. We do not pay any sales tax on clothing here.

I am jewish and I have no problem whatsoever with a company who closes on Sunday to give their employees a chance to worship if they so choose (or even just relax and spend time with their families). There is a HUGE price for the 24/7 society that we have become and it's people like those who work at retail stores who pay it the most. I can't believe anyone would care.

It's a pretty low threshold - anything over $110 is taxed at 8.875%. It's a pretty significant savings to buy designer goods, coats, boots, suits, etc. in NJ.

When I was little, my aunt in Manhattan would ship things to us in NJ to get around it (frowned upon, but a common tactic back then). Now, she just shops out in NJ.

Very true Caramia and why no comments of that nature are tolerated by me and I will make a fuss if necessary.

The lines at Hobby Lobby are atrocious. Every time I go there (which is never on a weekend, either), I want to kick myself because they have one or two registers open, the slowest checkers imaginable, and at least two shoppers in front of you who are buying 4 million tiny pieces of something that have to be entered into the register ONE at a TIME.

So I agree with whoever pointed that out. It's like that where I am, too.

This is my final post on this topic, and I apologize if my comments were construed as religious or political commentary, they were not meant as bait, I was commenting on why I don't shop at HL. And just for the record, I don't knowingly support any fundamentalist businesses, be they christian, muslim, jewish, hindi or any other religion I perceive to be anti-female or anti marriage equality, so the christians shouldn't feel singled out.

sandyponder

Hobby Lobby had a 66% off sale? Interesting since there are 66 books in the Bible!

Here is OK. you can't buy a car on Sundays either.

All the shops in our small town aren't open on Sundays, and they either close at noon or 5 on Saturdays.

If we want to eat out locally on a Sunday, the only thing open is fast food.

Ditto what Caramaia said.

Thanks, Sandy. I completely understood your intent, and that's why I agreed with you. I think we should just all move along and not try to take offense where none was meant.

I don't think I've purchased a single item over $110 in years. Yesterday I bought a $189 chocolate wool pea coat for around $50 after promos, coupons and discounts. Woo. I think I'd have to save a lot more money than a little sales tax to deal with NJ drivers ;).

I am guessing the 66% off is more of a 2/3 thing than a biblical thing. I don't think the 30/40/50% discounts they have on other stuff is anything significant.

BTW I don't think anyone was saying they didn't support it because it was christian - I think they don't support it because they support a particular person who happens to be a christian who they don't wish to support. There is a big difference.