Hobby Lobby to open its first store in NYC

One of the country's largest arts-and-crafts retailer had drawn a circle around the United States’ largest market but never entered it. Now it will.

Hobby Lobby Stores, the  Oklahoma City-based chain of more than 900 stores, will open its first New York City location next year,  in Staten Island at The Crossing in Staten Island, according to its real estate broker, Katz & Associates.

Hobby Lobby’s presence in other parts of the New York Metro has been expanding for years, with 10 stores in locations such as Paramus and Iselin in New Jersey and Commack and Bay Shore on Long Island. Now the pins in its expansion map are homing in on the Big Apple.

“We are actively seeking locations in all of the other boroughs and expect to have more exciting news soon,” said Brian Katz, CEO of Katz & Associates.

Hobby Lobby and its inventory of more than 70,000 crafting and home decor products has fashioned itself as an important anchor in power centers nationwide despite the fact that all of its stores are closed on Sundays.

This year the company raised the minimum wage for its employees to $18.50 and first raised it to $15 in 2014. The current minimum wage in New York State is $13.20.

[Read more: Hobby Lobby hikes minimum wage to $18.50]