Hobby Lobby

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Hobby Lobby is a privately held American arts-and-crafts and home-decor retailer founded by David Green in 1972.

Last updated November 4, 2026

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Overview

Hobby Lobby is a large American specialty retailer focused on arts and crafts, home décor, seasonal merchandise, fabrics, floral supplies, picture framing, party goods, jewelry-making materials, and related hobby products. The company began in 1972 when David Green started selling picture frames from a small Oklahoma City operation. It developed from a framing business into a chain of large-format stores serving do-it-yourself crafters, decorators, artists, gift buyers, and customers preparing for seasonal or ceremonial events. The business is privately held and associated with the Green family, whose religious convictions have been unusually visible in the company’s public identity and operating policies. Hobby Lobby has traditionally promoted Christian messages in newspaper advertising around Christmas, Easter, and Independence Day. It also closes its stores on Sundays, a policy the company describes as allowing employees time for worship and family. This values-led positioning distinguishes Hobby Lobby from many mainstream discount and specialty retailers, while also making the brand a recurring subject of public debate. Merchandising is built around breadth, seasonal rotation, and promotional value. Stores commonly combine craft basics such as paper, yarn, paint, canvas, sewing supplies, beads, and tools with home accents, wall décor, artificial flowers, furniture, storage, holiday decorations, wedding supplies, party products, and ready-made framing. The large store format encourages project browsing: customers can purchase materials for a complete activity or event rather than a single specialist item. Framing services and extensive seasonal departments are important parts of the in-store proposition. For many years, the brand used a highly recognizable weekly coupon and rotating category discounts to generate store traffic. In 2021, Hobby Lobby ended its broad 40 percent-off coupon and said it was moving toward an everyday-low-price approach, supplemented by category and seasonal promotions. Earlier digital advertising also used time-limited mobile coupons that had to be redeemed in stores, linking mobile discovery to physical retail visits. The company has supplemented traditional circulars and newspaper advertising with email, social media, digital advertising, online product discovery, and seasonal creative campaigns. Hobby Lobby remains primarily a United States brick-and-mortar retailer, with online shopping and product information supporting the store network. It competes with craft and fabric chains, mass merchants, home-decor retailers, marketplaces, and specialty online sellers. The company does not publish the level of financial detail expected from a listed corporation. Its private ownership gives the Green family significant control over capital allocation, merchandising, labor policies, communications, and long-term strategy. Its current identity therefore combines a broad value-oriented retail assortment with a distinctive Christian corporate culture and a strong emphasis on seasonal creativity and home decoration.

History

Hobby Lobby traces its origins to 1972, when David Green began a small picture-framing business in Oklahoma City. The early operation established two capabilities that later became central to the brand: framing and the sale of materials used in creative projects. As the business expanded, it moved beyond frames into a broad assortment of craft supplies and eventually adopted the Hobby Lobby name for its retail stores. During the following decades, the company developed a national store network built around large-format locations. Its assortment broadened to include fabric, yarn, sewing materials, paper crafts, painting supplies, beads, floral products, wedding merchandise, party goods, home accents, furniture, wall décor, and seasonal decorations. Rather than operating solely as a specialist art-supply chain, Hobby Lobby combined project materials with finished decorative products. This gave it a wider household and seasonal role and encouraged customers to browse across departments. The Green family retained private ownership as the chain grew. David Green’s Christian beliefs became part of the company’s public character, including the decision to close stores on Sundays. Hobby Lobby also became known for holiday and national-holiday advertisements that presented explicitly Christian or religious messages. The company’s advertising often linked creativity, family, faith, and seasonal celebration, creating a brand identity that was more culturally specific than that of many competing retailers. The company’s religious commitments became the focus of major litigation in the 2010s. Hobby Lobby challenged federal requirements concerning employer health-plan coverage of certain contraceptives. In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act could protect certain closely held corporations from a federal mandate when the owners objected on religious grounds. The decision was legally significant and also intensified debate about the relationship between religious belief, corporate rights, and employee benefits. Hobby Lobby separately faced scrutiny over its acquisition and handling of cultural objects from Iraq. In 2017, the company agreed to forfeit thousands of artifacts and pay a civil penalty after the U.S. government alleged that imported objects had been falsely labeled and improperly shipped. The company said it had not understood the provenance and import problems at the time of purchase. The episode led to criticism of its acquisition controls and became one of the most important reputational controversies associated with the brand. Marketing historically relied heavily on weekly circulars and rotating discounts, including a prominent general coupon. The retailer also experimented with digital tactics that translated online attention into store visits, such as short-duration mobile coupons redeemable at checkout. In 2021, Hobby Lobby retired the broad 40 percent coupon and promoted an everyday-low-price framework, while continuing to use seasonal and category-specific promotions. Hobby Lobby’s contemporary retail proposition combines physical stores, online product discovery, seasonal merchandising, framing, home décor, and a large project-oriented craft assortment. It remains privately held and concentrated in the United States. Its continuing distinctiveness comes from the combination of national specialty-retail scale, aggressive seasonal merchandising, value messaging, Sunday closure, and the Green family’s public religious orientation.

2021
General weekly coupon discontinued
[6]General weekly coupon discontinuedlatterly.org
The company ends its broad 40 percent coupon and shifts emphasis toward regular pricing and targeted promotions.
2017
Settlement over Iraqi antiquities
[3]Hobby Lobby agrees to forfeit thousands of ancient Iraqi artifacts imported contrary to lawjustice.gov
Hobby Lobby agrees to forfeit cultural objects and pay a civil penalty in a case concerning the importation and provenance of Iraqi artifacts.
2014
Supreme Court ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby
[2]Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.supremecourt.gov
The Supreme Court recognizes a Religious Freedom Restoration Act protection for certain closely held corporations in the contraception-coverage dispute.
1972
Business founded in Oklahoma City
[1]Hobby Lobbyen.wikipedia.org
David Green starts a small picture-framing business that becomes the foundation of Hobby Lobby.

Products and positioning

A value-oriented, inspirational arts-and-crafts and home-decor retailer with a broad seasonal assortment and a distinctive Christian, family-owned identity.

Craft supplies
Arts and crafts supplies
The core assortment includes paper crafts, scrapbooking materials, painting supplies, canvases, brushes, adhesives, tools, unfinished wood, modeling materials, and project accessories. The range is designed for casual makers as well as customers undertaking larger seasonal, school, home, or gift projects.
Textiles
Fabric and sewing
Hobby Lobby sells fabric by the yard and a related selection of sewing notions, patterns, thread, yarn, needles, quilting materials, and textile accessories. The department supports apparel, quilting, décor, holiday, and other do-it-yourself projects.
Home furnishings and décor
Home décor
Home décor spans wall art, mirrors, frames, furniture, lighting, rugs, pillows, baskets, storage, decorative accessories, and styling pieces. The assortment positions the retailer as both a craft-supply destination and a value-oriented source of finished household decoration.
Seasonal retail
Seasonal merchandise
Large seasonal departments rotate through Christmas, Easter, Halloween, spring, patriotic, wedding, and other calendar-based themes. Merchandise includes decorations, ornaments, florals, table settings, party supplies, and project materials, making seasonal resets a central traffic and merchandising tool.
Framing services · 1972
Picture framing
Picture framing is a longstanding part of the company’s heritage and remains represented through frames, mats, mounting materials, and custom framing services. It connects Hobby Lobby’s original business with its broader home décor and creative-project proposition.

Controversies

2021
Criticism of “One Nation Under God” campaign
A holiday advertisement was criticized for promoting an explicitly Christian political message and for using historical quotations without full context.
Source
2021
Hobby Lobby faces backlash over Independence Day advertisement
Hobby Lobby faced social-media backlash after running an Independence Day advertisement that appeared to call for a Christian-run government. The Freedom From Religion Foundation reported that the company altered the placement of quotations from former presidents, removing context; the article reports the allegations but no determination.
Source
2021
Crocs sues Walmart and other companies over shoe designs
Crocs filed lawsuits against Walmart and other companies, alleging that they copied the design of its plastic shoes and violated its intellectual property rights.
Source
2020
Hobby Lobby sues Christie’s over Gilgamesh tablet sale
Hobby Lobby filed a lawsuit against Christie’s alleging fraud and breach of warranty over Christie’s sale of an ancient tablet. The lawsuit claims Christie’s represented that the consignor was legally entitled to sell the object and knew its provenance was fake; these are allegations, not a court determination.
Source
2017
Iraqi antiquities importation case
The U.S. government alleged that thousands of Iraqi cultural objects acquired for Hobby Lobby’s Museum of the Bible project had been improperly imported and falsely labeled. Hobby Lobby agreed to forfeit the objects and pay a civil penalty, while stating that it had not adequately understood the objects’ provenance and import requirements.
Source
2014
Contraception-coverage litigation
Hobby Lobby challenged the Affordable Care Act’s contraception-coverage requirement on religious grounds. The Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby allowed certain closely held corporations to seek protection under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Source

2021One Nation Under God
United States
A July 4 newspaper and social-media campaign used religious language, a Bible verse, and quotations attributed to early American political figures to express a Christian interpretation of national identity.
Outcome. The advertisement generated public criticism, including claims that historical quotations were selectively presented and that the message advocated a Christian-run government.
Source
Christmas Is What You Make It
United States
A holiday advertising platform presented Christmas as something shaped through personal creativity, celebration, and meaningful making. The campaign used emotionally warm creative to promote Hobby Lobby’s seasonal products while extending the company’s broader association with crafting and family occasions.
Outcome. The campaign was renewed with additional holiday advertising after the company described a favorable response to the earlier creative.
Source
Time-limited mobile coupon campaign
United States
Mobile ads appearing on news websites offered a 40 percent discount on a regularly priced item for a limited redemption period. Users were sent to Hobby Lobby’s mobile coupon page and had to use the code in a physical store.
Outcome. The campaign was designed to convert mobile reach into immediate in-store visits rather than online transactions.
Source

Brand decisions

2021
Move from broad coupons toward everyday-low pricingPrice change
Background
The company had long used a widely recognized weekly 40 percent coupon and rotating promotions to drive store traffic.
Action taken
Hobby Lobby discontinued the general coupon and emphasized lower regular prices alongside more targeted category and seasonal offers.
Aftermath
The change simplified the promotional proposition and shifted customer communication from a universal coupon toward more consistent pricing and selective discounts.
Source
2014
Challenge to federal contraceptive-coverage mandateOther
Background
The company argued that complying with the mandate would substantially burden the religious exercise of its owners.
Action taken
Hobby Lobby pursued litigation that reached the U.S. Supreme Court under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Aftermath
The Court ruled that certain closely held corporations could seek religious protection from the mandate, while the broader legal and policy debate continued.
Source

Recent events

Unconfirmed
Reported2021.07.27
Crocs sues Walmart and other companies over shoe designs[11]Crocs sues Walmart and other companies over shoe designstheepochtimes.com
Crocs filed lawsuits against Walmart and other companies, alleging that they copied the design of its plastic shoes and violated its intellectual property rights.
2021.07.23
Reported2021.07.23
Crocs sues companies over clog design[12]Crocs sues Walmart and other companies over shoe designsunionleader.com
Crocs sued nearly two dozen companies, including Walmart and Hobby Lobby, alleging they copied its signature foam-clog design.
Unconfirmed
Reported2021.07.22
Crocs files trademark lawsuits over alleged clog copies[13]Crocs sues Walmart and other companies over shoe designskeyt.com
Crocs filed four trademark infringement lawsuits in several U.S. district courts against about 20 companies, alleging that they violated its trademarks and other intellectual property on its shoes. In one suit, Crocs alleged that Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Loeffler Randall sold shoes that copied its clog. These are allegations; the source reports no court determination.
2021.07.12
Reported2021.07.22
Crocs sues retailers and other businesses over alleged clog trademark infringement[14]Crocs sues Walmart and other companies over shoe designsyahoo.com
Crocs filed a lawsuit against 21 retailers, manufacturers, and distributors, including Walmart and Hobby Lobby, alleging trademark infringement involving similar versions of its clogs. The allegations are not a court determination.
2021.07.05
Reported2021.07.05
Hobby Lobby faces backlash over Independence Day advertisement[5]Hobby Lobby faces backlash over newspaper advertisementnewsweek.com
Hobby Lobby faced social-media backlash after running an Independence Day advertisement that appeared to call for a Christian-run government. The Freedom From Religion Foundation reported that the company altered the placement of quotations from former presidents, removing context; the article reports the allegations but no determination.
2021.06.02
Reported2021.06.04
Hobby Lobby sues Oxford professor for refund[10]Hobby Lobby sues Christie’s over Gilgamesh tablet salechristianitytoday.com
Hobby Lobby filed a federal lawsuit seeking the return of more than $7 million from Oxford professor Dirk Obbink. The lawsuit alleges that Obbink sold the company papyrus fragments that belonged to the collection he oversaw.
2021.03.05
Reported2021.03.05
Hobby Lobby announces relocated Prien Lake Road reopening[15]Hobby Lobby 宣布搬迁后重开 Prien Lake Road 门店107jamz.com
Hobby Lobby's sales newsletter confirmed that its store would reopen at a relocated site somewhere on Prien Lake Road; the exact location had not been provided.
2020.12.30
Reported2020.12.30
Hobby Lobby sues contractor over store façade[9]Hobby Lobby sues Christie’s over Gilgamesh tablet salejournalstar.com
Hobby Lobby sued a Columbus construction company for more than $510,000 over a stone façade at a Colorado store that allegedly began falling off the building.
2020.06.17
Reported2020.06.17
Hobby Lobby opens Bozeman store[16]Hobby Lobby 在博兹曼开设门店kbzk.com
Hobby Lobby opened its store in Bozeman, Montana, on June 17, 2020.
2020.05.19
Reported2020.05.19
Hobby Lobby sues Christie’s over Gilgamesh tablet sale[8]Hobby Lobby sues Christie’s over Gilgamesh tablet saletheartnewspaper.com
Hobby Lobby filed a lawsuit against Christie’s alleging fraud and breach of warranty over Christie’s sale of an ancient tablet. The lawsuit claims Christie’s represented that the consignor was legally entitled to sell the object and knew its provenance was fake; these are allegations, not a court determination.

Sources30 sources

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