SAN JOSE — Hobby Lobby has opened a big new San Jose store, taking over the location of a long-shuttered Bed Bath & Beyond outlet.
The arts and crafts store, which espouses conservative and Christian views and values, also displays a “now hiring” sign on the exterior of the store at 5353 Almaden Expressway in south San Jose.
“In my opinion, this store will be a screaming success for Hobby Lobby,” said Jim Fletcher, a commercial real estate broker who arranged the lease for the arts and crafts retailer. “They are a big-volume retailer and they are very successful and well-regarded.”
Hobby Lobby is operating on the second floor of a retail building where Bed Bath & Beyond closed its doors in 2023 after filing for bankruptcy.
“The San Jose store is Hobby Lobby’s 67th location in California,” the Oklahoma-based retailer states in a post on its website.
The new Hobby Lobby store totals about 65,000 square feet, the merchant states on its website. The store is located near the interchange of State Route 85 and Almaden Expressway.
“They really like that freeway exposure,” Fletcher said.
Shoppers could be seen Friday on the first day of business walking through the store, lining up at check stands and then exiting the site.
Kylie Hitchcock, a Campell resident, said she had been looking forward to the new San Jose store for some time.
“I was very excited for this store to open,” Hitchcock said as she left Hobby Lobby holding items related to Valentine’s Day. “I used to go to Morgan Hill all the time but this is so much closer.”
Marvin Carter, a San Jose resident, said he was interested in the hobby part of Hobby Lobby.
“I’m just getting into hobby building,” Carter said, as he left with a bag of items.
David Green, a business executive and financial supporter of Evangelical Christian organizations in the United States, opened the first Hobby Lobby in 1972 in Oklahoma City, where the company has established its corporate headquarters.
Hobby Lobby’s other South Bay store is in a former Mervyn’s outlet in Morgan Hill.
“They have been looking in San Jose ever since they opened the Morgan Hill store,” Fletcher said. “They really wanted to be at this location.”
Hobby Lobby offers an array of products to its customers, the company states on its website.
“Each store offers over 80,000 crafting and home decor products including floral, fabric, needle art, custom framing, baskets, home accents, kitchen, bath, wearable art, arts and crafts, jewelry making, scrapbooking, party, and paper crafting supplies,” Hobby Lobby states in a web post.
Hobby Lobby has more than 1,000 stores nationwide, the company says.
Other changes are coming to that section of Almaden Plaza, a retail and restaurant hub in south San Jose.
Sports Basement has leased 86,000 square feet at 5353 Almaden Expressway in a space that is adjacent to the Hobby Lobby store.
The new sporting goods store should open sometime during the July-through-September third quarter of this year, according to Sports Basement officials.
Sports Basement is taking over a shuttered Buy Buy Baby space as well as the site of a Barnes and Noble bookstore, which is closing at that location.
Hobby Lobby might expand at its San Jose location. The former Bed Bath & Beyond space totals 78,000 square feet and Fletcher said Hobby Lobby has an option to add to the space it’s now leasing.
What’s more, Hobby Lobby will likely scout for more sites in the South Bay in fresh store expansions, in Fletcher’s view.
“I think they will look to open another one or two stores in the South Bay,” Fletcher said.
For now, however, customers appear happy to be able to shop at the brand-new San Jose store.
“I love to get seasonal decor and home decor items,” Hitchcock said. “I go all the time with my daughter to get decorations for every holiday.”