Hobby Lobby to open at Morris Bed Bath site

Arts and crafts store Hobby Lobby is moving to the former site of a Bed Bath & Beyond in East Hanover, said a report by business publication CoStar.

The Hobby Lobby will occupy the former store at 180 Route 10 in East Hanover, which sits on 4 acres on the retail corridor. The location is 50,200 square feet, CoStar reported.

Neither Hobby Lobby nor real estate broker Jeffery Realty – which according to CoStar represented both Hobby Lobby and the landlord – could be reached for comment Monday morning.

A job was posted on the career social media site LinkedIn two months ago by Hobby Lobby for a “retail comanager” in East Hanover.

Bed Bath & Beyond – known for being the go-to spot for shoppers looking to outfit dorm rooms and starter homes, and for keeping them coming back with its iconic blue 20% off coupons – announced last April that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closing hundreds of stores across the United States. There were 13 stores in New Jersey.

Former Bed Bath & Beyond sites “always had good-quality, well-located space,” Matthew Harding, chief executive officer of North Plainfield-based Levin Management Corp., a commercial real estate services firm, said in an interview last year.

Real estate experts said contenders have included fitness centers and supermarkets, as well as retailers such as Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Homesense, Sierra Trading Post, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ashley and Burlington Stores, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Burlington Stores is occupying several former Bed Bath & Beyond locations, including one in Clifton.