Hobby Lobby prepares for McHenry grand opening

McHENRY – In the midst of a modest expansion program, Hobby Lobby on Monday will celebrate the grand opening of its newest McHenry County store.

The company, which has more than 500 stores nationwide, specializes in arts and crafts from furniture and vases to clocks and birdhouses. It has a Crystal Lake store on Northwest Highway and opened in McHenry at 2000 N. Richmond Road, in a portion of the former Dominick’s grocery store.

“We feel that the market is underserved, and that we can bring a very unique shopping experience to the area,” Hobby Lobby Stores spokesman Vince Parker said. “We felt that McHenry was a great fit for us, and we really look forward to becoming part of the community.”

The company hired about 40 employees for the store, and Morgan Imhoff was named the store manager for the 53,500-square-foot property.

Parker said the retro fitting of the building – turning the Dominick’s into a Hobby Lobby – took about three months, and the company was drawn to the site in large part because of its location along Route 31.

Hobby Lobby opened 26 new stores nationwide in 2010, and 34 new stores last year. Parker said that growth was expected to continue this year.

“Our current goal is to open as many [stores as possible] this year all over the continental United States,” he said. “There are many reasons for our growth; we just give the credit to God.”

To that end, all Hobby Lobby locations are closed on Sundays to allow employees time for worship and family, a statement on the company’s website says. It said the plan was a matter of principle for the private company’s owner and officers.

With two county locations, does the continued expansion mean that there will be another Hobby Lobby headed to the county soon?

“In regards to more stores in the Chicago area, we are constantly looking for locations that make since for us to be in,” Parker said simply.

The grand opening event Monday begins at 9 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Then guests will head inside to browse through more than 65,000 products in 13 departments.

“We are very excited to be part of yet another community in the state of Illinois,” Assistant Vice President of Advertising John Schumacher said in a release announcing the grand opening.

“The constant element throughout our 42 years of growth has been our loyal customers and our outstanding employees,” Parker added. “We look forward to many more years of growth and service.”