Hobby Lobby will leave Main Street and move to a new location in the University North Park area.
The Norman location of the Oklahoma City-based arts and crafts store is currently at 2417 W. Main St., a spot that used to be occupied by Target before it moved to University North Park in October 2006. Hobby Lobby used to be at 559 W. Main St., where Sprouts Farmers Market is now located.
The Hobby Lobby store manager declined to answer questions and recommended OU Daily reach out to a press contact for Hobby Lobby. The press contact did not respond by the time of publication.
Another Hobby Lobby employee said they expect the relocation to be complete by February.
Mardel, a Hobby Lobby-affiliate Christian bookstore, operated a location on Main Street, with a store right beside Hobby Lobby. Mardel also moved to the University North Park area and opened its new location on Nov. 3.
Mardel, a Hobby Lobby-affiliated Christian bookstore, left its Main Street location and moved to University North Park in November.
City leadership reactions
Ward 8 Councilmember Scott Dixon, whose district includes the new Hobby Lobby location, said he does not like that the relocation will leave a large empty space on Main Street, but hopes a business that can’t afford to open at the University North Park will open on the property.
“Big empty stores are just not good at all. Even the small empty stores aren't good,” Dixon said. “Main Street is really the gateway to Norman. You'll get off (Interstate) 35, you'll either go down Lindsey (Street) or Main Street, and so we want those storefronts to be full, vibrant, full of activity.”
Dixon said he would prefer new stores to move into undeveloped parts of University North Park, rather than existing Norman businesses.
“It seems like almost every action has an equal and opposite reaction,” Dixon said. “To me, it would be preferential if outside firms moved in, and then the firms we have in Norman are able to continue to thrive where they're at.”
Dixon said downtown Norman is a vital part of the city and believes it would be valuable if the empty space could foster new businesses while University North Park grows.
“Downtown is really the crown jewel of Norman. If downtown Norman is thriving, then overall Norman is thriving,” Dixon said. “But if that space where Target used to be, where Hobby Lobby currently is and is about to vacate, turns into a big-box incubator of sorts, well, that's an interesting development.”
Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman said he hopes the relocation of Hobby Lobby and Mardel will be beneficial for University North Park and that the Main Street property can be redeveloped.
“It's a massive piece of property, and I just think about the housing needs we have in Norman,” Holman said. “We're short thousands of housing units when it comes to affordability.”
Holman said the city is trying to add more housing to Norman while curbing sprawl and protecting rural areas.
“You could probably fit four Campus Corners in that property. Imagine if that whole property was redeveloped into a whole new urban neighborhood, like Campus Corner, like downtown, mixed-use, small scale commercial,” Holman said, “and then residential mixed above and throughout and within.”
Holman said the city could take action to facilitate a new development on the property, including putting in a zoning policy or working with the property owner, but there would be no telling how long it would take.
Holman said a “mixed-use urban village” is similar to what has been discussed for the Griffin Memorial Hospital property. He said that although the Hobby Lobby property is not as large, it is also at the corner of a major intersection and close to I-35.
“I get why a lot of folks are upset about what they view as cannibalization of University North Park and businesses on Main Street or Ed Noble Parkway relocating to that area,” Holman said. “In this case, I do think there's a real opportunity, hopefully that we can see (it) realized.”
Business owner reactions
Beth Baldwin is the co-owner of Sewciety Quilt Co. on 24th Avenue across from Hobby Lobby. Baldwin said she expects Hobby Lobby’s departure to decrease customer traffic in the area.
“There are people at Hobby Lobby that work in the fabric section who send customers across the street to us if they don't have something that they are looking for,” Baldwin said. “I'm assuming, with them being up the street, they would still say that, but I don't know that people would come all the way down here.”
Brockhaus Jewelry relocated from Main Street to 1905 24th Ave. NW in the University North Park area in June 2024. Co-owner Brad Shipman said when the store moved, Eight Twenty Eight Real Estate moved into their previous Main Street location.
“Those are the kind of things the city needs. We got to grow. Norman gets stuck in that mud,” Shipman said. “The truth is, the more reasons we give people to come to Norman and shop, the more tax dollars we have for roads and the homeless, (the) police department.”
Baldwin said that apart from Sewciety, the only places to get quilting materials in Norman are Hobby Lobby and Michaels, which is also in University North Park.
“We're the only actual quilt shop, like small-town quilt shop in town,” Baldwin said. “Mardel is gone and Hobby Lobby (too), so I feel like it will definitely affect us. I don't know how much. We do have our loyal customer base, but it's nice to have those people that didn't know about us come in as well.”
Shipman said he expects Hobby Lobby to bring a lot of traffic to University North Park, especially because its customers make frequent visits to the store.
“As businesses begin to grow and move, I look forward to seeing what moves in behind Hobby Lobby,” Shipman said. “As the city continues to grow and blossom, what new businesses are we bringing in to fill in those spots?”
This story was edited by Ana Barboza, Natalie Armour and Thomas Pablo. Ryan Little and Gretchen Schultz copy edited this story.
