Mall Manager: Hobby Lobby to Fill Much of Kmart Space

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Craft store Hobby Lobby could open in Pierre's Northridge Plaza as early as this fall.

Northridge Plaza property manager Tony Jockheck tells the Capital Journal that Hobby Lobby will take over much of the plaza's largest retail space once Kmart closes shop by the end of March.

The new Hobby Lobby store will take up about 55,000 square feet of the 85,000 square feet Kmart is vacating. The store will bring 35 to 50 jobs to the city.

Jockheck also said he's looking for another business to fill the remaining 30,000 square feet of space.

The announcement comes just a few months since Pierre based developer Midwest Construction bought what was then the Pierre Mall and quickly had to announce the loss of its largest retailer, Kmart.

Meanwhile, the Pierre City Commission has approved hiring an out-of-state company to update the city's retail study.

KCCR reports that commissioners approved spending up to $24,000 to hire Jeff Green Partners, of Phoenix, Arizona, to conduct a feasibility study for new retail development on available properties in Pierre.

Pierre City Administrator Leon Schochenmaier says the study will be done in time for RECon, the annual convention for the global shopping center industry to be held in May in Las Vegas.

The $24,000 for the study will come out of the city's $250,000 contingency fund.

Officials say the old consultant report was instrumental in attracting Menards to Pierre.

Source: Mall Manager: Hobby Lobby to Fill Much of Kmart Space