Hobby Lobby has so far resisted the bright lights of New York City in its 50 years of business, but that’s set to change soon.
The arts-and-crafts retailer will open its first New York City location at The Crossing at the Staten Island Mall, the Commercial Observer reported. The chain will be taking over a 42,000-square-foot space previously occupied by Babies “R” Us.
The asking rent and lease length were not immediately disclosed. It’s also not clear when the Hobby Lobby will open at 2655 Richmond Avenue, as it could come by the end of 2022 or in early 2023.
“Bringing in the first Hobby Lobby to New York City at The Crossing at Staten Island Mall is an example of what Brookfield does,” said Brookfield Properties’ Alex Varon, who represented the landlord in the lease. “We knew Hobby Lobby was the right fit to meet the needs of the Staten Island community.”
A Katz & Associates team led by Brian Katz and Daniel DePasquale represented Hobby Lobby in the lease negotiations, according to the Observer.
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The deal for the lease closed in September 2021 after several months of negotiations.
Prior to Hobby Lobby’s claim on the space, Brookfield secured a fitness chain to open at the vacant space. The unnamed company was forced to back out of the deal, however, after it went bankrupt during the pandemic.
Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby has more than 900 locations across the United States. The supplies store is not only known for its arts and crafts, but also for the staunch conservative and Christian values of its founder, David Green. The company previously fought a mandate to provide access to contraception and the morning-after pill in the Affordable Care Act.
Other tenants of the 1.2 million-square-foot Staten Island Mall include Macy’s, Dave & Buster’s and an Apple store. The mall had some positive momentum in the summer, seeing foot traffic rise 2.6 percent in July from 2019 levels, according to data from location analytics firm Placer.ai.
[CO] — Holden Walter-Warner