New Hobby Lobby in Missoula May Not Sell These Holiday Decorations

Missoula has been watching and waiting as the new Hobby Lobby location takes shape in Southgate Mall where Lucky's Market used to be.

Based on an update from last summer when Peter Christian spoke with Tim Winger, the manager at Southgate Mall, it's expected the store will open in the first quarter of 2024. When the store does open, if you plan to shop there for holiday decorations, there may be some decorations that you won't find.

Comments circulated online this fall saying that Hobby Lobby wasn't selling Hanukkah decorations in their stores. The internet fact-checking website Snopes.com looked into the claim and here's what they found out.

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No Hanukkah Merchandise 2023 

Snopes.com confirmed that "product lines were discontinued prior to the 2022 holiday season" but in their investigation, it wasn't only Hanukkah decor that wasn't available but Mardis Gras and Halloween decor as well.

It's also important to note that based on their conversations with an employee this was not new in 2023. As mentioned above, the change was made during the 2022 holiday season.

A statement from Hobby Lobby was also provided:

The decision on what to offer our customers are based on many factors, including customer interest and what sells well. Our seasonal merchandise assortment carried at Hobby Lobby is constantly changing, and they evaluate it annually. Due to the need to find additional space for some of our stronger categories as well as our newer ones, the decision was made over the last couple of years to discontinue several seasonal product lines, including Mardi Gras, Halloween, and Hanukkah. - snopes.com

When searching "Hanukkah" on the Hobby Lobby site the only product is a calendar/bulletin board set, but it's called "Boho Rainbow Calendar Bulletin Board Set" and doesn't appear to be associated with Hanukkah. The Snopes.com investigation made the same observation. When searching "Halloween" you can find fall-themed items like pumpkin decor, gnomes, and fall-colored glitter. Many of the items were marked on sale. When searching "Mardis Gras" a set of mosaic tiles, a Mardi Gras fabric, and a set of Mardis Gras Beaded Necklaces come up. The tiles were marked on sale.