Hobby Lobby to Fill Vacant Toys R Us Building Across From Altamonte Mall

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If you live or frequent the Altamonte Springs area, you’re likely familiar with the empty Toys “R” Us building across from the Altamonte Mall. This freestanding building located at 350 E Altamonte Dr has been a sad, empty eyesore since Toys “R” Us closed. But now, we’re seeing construction work and signage for a new Hobby Lobby location coming to life. Here’s what you should know about the latest Orlando area Hobby Lobby location.

Expected Opening Date

This store has been marked as ‘Coming Soon’ but the store is expected to host its grand opening in 2021.

Hobby Lobby locations in the surrounding areas are open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm and closed on Sundays. We can likely expect the same hours at the new location.

What Can You Find at Hobby Lobby

Hobby Lobby is an arts and crafts supply store which also includes a sizable selection of home decor items. You can shop for the following at Hobby Lobby:

• Home decor and frames
• Crafts and hobby supplies (such as leather crafting)
• Fabric and sewing supplies
• Scrapbook and papercraft goods
• Floral and wedding supplies
• Party and baking goods
• Art supplies (including canvas, brushes, and more)
• Yarn and needle art
• Seasonal decor
• Beads and jewelry supplies

Alternative Craft Stores in the Altamonte Springs Area

The addition of a new Hobby Lobby will bring jobs and a new place to shop for arts and crafts supplies. But for anyone familiar with Hobby Lobby’s history the company is well acquainted with scandals. If you’d rather not shop at Hobby Lobby due to the previous behaviors of its CEO and stances taken by the company, you have plenty of competing chains and local small business alternatives. Additionally, if you want to support local shops instead of large chain stores, we recommend you make a visit to any stores marked as local in the following list.

• Bernina Sewing Centre (Local) - Bernina Sewing Centre is a full-service sewing and quilt shop that has been operating for over 21 years. This sewing center is an award-winning shop and is sure to provide superior service (and selection) compared to your large retail chain stores.
• Sewing Studio Fabric Superstore (Local) - The Sewing Studio Fabric Superstore is a family-owned business with a location in Maitland and in Lady Lake. This is a sewing-focused business with sewing classes offered seven days a week at their Orlando area location.
• The Black Sheep (Local) - The Black Sheep is a needlecraft store located at 1201 W. Fairbanks Ave in Orlando. This shop is locally owned and has a wide selection of products. The Black Sheep also offers classes and finishing.
• Needle Orts (Local) - Needle Orts is a small locally-owned shop mostly run online. This small business hosts classes and provides a number of products and services surrounding cross stitch and needlepoint.
• Artsystems of Florida (Local) - Artsystems of Florida is a family-owned business that was started in 1983 by founder Richard Moody. It began in Altamonte Springs but has since been moved to a larger Winter Park location. Artsystems focuses on providing high-quality goods that are professional grade. Their art store is located at 1740 State Rd 436, Ste 124 in Winter Park.
• Rockler Woodworking & Hardware - Rockler is a woodworking specialty store with everything you’ll need for home projects, woodworking, epoxy arts, and related goods. You can also attend classes and workshops at their Altamonte location. Rockler is located at 515 E Altamonte Drive -Suite 1018
• Michaels - Michaels is a widely known arts and crafts chain. Their selection is comparable if not superior to Hobby Lobby, but they do tend to stock fewer home decor products.
• Joann Fabrics and Crafts - Another well-known arts and crafts store, Joann is particularly well known for its wide selection of fabric and sewing goods. The Altamonte location is at 924 W State Road 436 Ste 1450

While stopping into a big-box store can be great for grabbing supplies at the last second, you will nearly always find a better selection and more knowledgeable staff at our local shops. With the addition of another large chain store in our area, let’s remember to support our small businesses.

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