Long-rumored, it is finally confirmed Hobby Lobby will open a Hays location this year.

According to Vincent Parker of Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., the arts-and-crafts/home decor store is expected to open mid-year in the former Walmart at 3300 Vine.

The 52,420-square-foot facility will be the 13th in Kansas and among the nearly 600 Hobby Lobby stories nationwide owned by the Green family.

“We feel that we can bring a very unique shopping experience to the area. We are looking forward to becoming part of the community,” Parker told Hays Post.

The store will employ between 30 and 50 local employees ranging from cashiers and stockers to custom picture framers and floral designers. Pay for full-time employees is expected to start at $14, with part-time employees beginning at $9.50 hourly. A call for applicants is usually made between three and four weeks of a store’s opening.

“The constant element throughout our 44 years of growth has been our loyal customers and our outstanding employees,” said Parker, Hobby Lobby’s director of training and customer service. “The foundation of our business has been and will continue to be strong values based on biblical principles, including integrity, service to others and giving back to those in need. We thank everyone who has contributed to our success during the past four decades and look forward to many more years of growth and service.”

Store managers and co-managers generally are trained at other Hobby Lobby locations and “come with the store,” Parker noted.

“Each new Hobby Lobby location enables us to become an integral part of the community by contributing to increased foot traffic, generating sales tax, and adding new jobs, while sharing in the growth of both the state and the city,” John Schumacher, assistant vice president of advertising, said in a press release Thursday.

Hays Post will have additional details on the development as they become available. For more on Hobby Lobby, click HERE.