A Hobby Lobby store is coming to the Honesdale area

Peter Becker, Tri-County Independent
·2 min read

Hobby Lobby is coming to the Route 6 Mall near Honesdale.

The arts and crafts retailer is leasing most of the former Kmart store site at the far right end of the mall, as seen from the parking lot.

Texas Township Code Enforcement Officer Robert Bates confirmed Monday that Hobby Lobby was issued a building permit. He said work has started on the new store.

The project manager, Mike Shaver, stated that do not have a finishing date and were waiting for the plans.

Acadia Realty Trust, which owns and leases tenant spaces at the Route 6 Mall, indicates that Hobby Lobby will use 54,632 square feet. T.J. Maxx, which opened in August 2023, takes up 23,006 square feet. This store and Hobby Lobby make up portions of the old Kmart, with a 11,424-square-foot retail space yet to be leased between them. Kmart closed this location in 2018.

This rendering of an exterior of a Hobby Lobby arts and crafts retail store matches in style what is depicted on the website for Arcadia Realty Trust, the owner of the Route 6 Mall near Honesdale. Arcadia has leased 54,632 square feet of the former Kmart space for Hobby Lobby.
This rendering of an exterior of a Hobby Lobby arts and crafts retail store matches in style what is depicted on the website for Arcadia Realty Trust, the owner of the Route 6 Mall near Honesdale. Arcadia has leased 54,632 square feet of the former Kmart space for Hobby Lobby.

Shaver works for Sun Industrial, which does the build-out work for Acadia Realty Trust. Work on the exterior has only just begun, with emergency exits being cut. They will also construct the main entrance. He said that Hobby Lobby has not yet gone to bid for their general contractor. Shaver said that Sun Industrial began work on June 15.

According to the company website, Hobby Lobby started in 1970 and today has more than 1,000 stores and 46,000 employees across 48 states.

The nearest Hobby Lobby to Honesdale is in Dickson City, Lackawanna County. It opened in 2012.

Hobby Lobby's site states that their stores offer "over 70,000 items featuring home decor, seasonal decor, tableware, floral, art supplies, craft supplies, yarn, fabric, jewelry making, hobbies and much more."

The interior of the large space that originally housed the Kmart store at the Route 6 Mall near Honesdale is seen on July 29, 2024. Hobby Lobby has signed a lease with the owner, Acadia Realty Trust, to open a retail store here. Workers are cutting an emergency exit door, at left.
The interior of the large space that originally housed the Kmart store at the Route 6 Mall near Honesdale is seen on July 29, 2024. Hobby Lobby has signed a lease with the owner, Acadia Realty Trust, to open a retail store here. Workers are cutting an emergency exit door, at left.

Store hours are listed as Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; all Hobby Lobby stores are closed on Sunday, the website states. The company lists one of its core commitments as "Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles."

Asked about what may be built on the site of the former Taco Bell restaurant in the Route 6 Plaza, adjacent to the Route 6 Mall, Bates said that there was no added information. The restaurant, which was damaged in a fire in 2021, was demolished in October 2023. Anthony Mazonkey, vice president of Mark Development Corporation, the firm that owns the Route 6 Plaza, said at the time that the site was cleaned up with hopes to lease it to another party, which had not yet been found. The Taco Bell sign still stands.

For more information and depictions, visit: acadiarealty.com/properties/search/property/90-route-6-mall-honesdale1420396057.

Peter Becker has worked at the Tri-County Independent or its predecessor publications since 1994. Reach him at pbecker@tricountyindependent.com or 570-253-3055 ext. 1588.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Hobby Lobby approved for old Kmart space in Route 6 Mall