New life for empty store: Hobby Lobby coming to Franklin

A well known arts, crafts and home decor store is coming to Franklin, filling a big box vacancy along U.S. 31.

The former Kroger grocery store in Northwood Plaza off U.S. 31 will be empty no longer.

Hobby Lobby plans to open in the former grocery location.

The company was recently issued a permit to do remodeling work in the store, estimated to cost about $1.3 million, according to the Franklin city planning department.

No timeline has been set for the store’s opening.

The store has been empty since the end of 2016 when a new Kroger Marketplace opened about a half-mile away on U.S. 31. This was the largest retail vacancy in Franklin, and one Mayor Steve Barnett had been hoping to fill.

Hobby Lobby is in the midst of an expansion plan. The company has more than 840 stores across the country after opening 54 new stores and moving 20 locations in 2018, according to a news release from the Oklahoma City-based retailer.

The company estimates it will open 65 new stores and move 16 other stores this year, the news release said.

The company’s closest stores are in Columbus and on the far-southside of Indianapolis. The company bills itself as an arts-and-crafts store that also includes items for hobbies, picture framing, jewelry making, fabrics, floral and wedding supplies, cards and party ware, baskets, wearable art, home accents and holiday merchandise.