Last Wednesday I took my very first trip to Hobby Lobby. It was an exciting day.
A store just opened in Morgan Hill, which is about 55 miles south of me. This is the first time in my life that I’ve been within an hour of a Hobby Lobby, so I figured it was worth the trip. And ooohhhh, I was right.
Now, I’m a big fan of shopping local and supporting small businesses, and for the great majority of my crafty needs you’ll find me shopping at Memories Live On, Cranberry Hill Mercantile, Eddie’s Quilting Bee, or one of the many other independently-owned fabric, yarn, or craft stores in the Bay Area. However, I realize that a lot of areas don’t have access to so many independent shops, and for a lot of people big box stores or online retailers are the only option.
As far as the big box stores go, I have to say after only one visit that Hobby Lobby is my favorite. A constant complaint I have about both Michael’s and Joann’s is that the employees don’t seem to know (or care) much about what they’re selling. When I first started sewing, I asked a Joann’s employee a question about a pattern. My response was a blank stare and the words “I don’t sew.” Okay then. All of the Hobby Lobby employees I talked to were engaging and knowledgeable. They not only answered all of my questions, they were interested in hearing what I was working on, they cooed over the baby (always a plus in my book) and were just generally pleasant to work with.
I was also impressed with the selection. Their fabric section isn’t huge, but I found myself liking a lot of what they had. I didn’t pay much attention to their papercrafting section because I get everything I need at MLO. But I made a great find in their wood crafts section. I’ve been looking everywhere for plain 12×12 wooden frames for a project I’ve been wanting to do for over a year, and I finally found them there. Of course, they only had 3 in stock and I needed 5. But I came home and found they have a well-organized and user-friendly online store. I ordered my frames today, so stay tuned for an ADORABLE upcoming project.