Hobby Lobby set to open Gainesville location Oct. 12

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a privately held national retail chain of craft and home décor stores, opens in Gainesville with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and official grand opening celebration beginning at 9 a.m. Oct. 12.

The Gainesville store is Hobby Lobby’s 35th location in Georgia. Laurie Jones is manager of the 55,000-square-foot building at 1146 Dawsonville Highway NW near Ahaluna Drive in North Lake Square.

The grand opening ceremony is open to the public. Local dignitaries, ambassadors from the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders will attend.

“We feel blessed for the fantastic opportunity to be a part of this community. Our goal is for customers to experience the exceptional service, selection and value Hobby Lobby offers as we continue to expand nationwide,” said John Schumacher, assistant vice president of advertising.

Hobby Lobby is headquartered in Oklahoma City, and began as a miniature picture frames company in 1970. Today, it operates more than 650 stores nationwide that average 55,000 square feet. More than 70,000 crafting and home decor products are offered in departments that include floral, fabric, needle art, custom framing, baskets, home accents, wearable art, arts and crafts, jewelry making, scrapbooking and papercrafting supplies.

Store hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. ll Hobby Lobby stores are closed Sundays.

For more, visit www.hobbylobby.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hobbylobby.

Quinn chosen to board of state Community Bankers Association

Ron Quinn, president and CEO of Gainesville-based Peach State Bank & Trust, has been elected to an at-large post on the board of directors of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia.

Nominations were announced and approved at CBA’s meeting and trade show Sept. 23-27 in Savannah. His term began Oct. 1. Board members are selected from 10 divisions across the state to one-year terms.

The CBA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1969 and dedicated to serving Georgia’s community banks. It represents 180 community banks and nearly 200 associate member companies.

“The varied experience each board member brings to the table is an invaluable asset to our association, and serves to strengthen the community banking industry in Georgia,” said Rob Braswell, president and CEO of the Association.

For more, visit www.cbaofga.com.

Note that this story corrects an earlier version that included an incorrect date for the Hobby Lobby opening. The Times publishes news on management or professional-level hires and promotions, major awards and other newsworthy accomplishments involving local businesses each Sunday on the Business page and gainesvilletimes.com. Send information, including photos and contact information, to news@gainesvilletimes.com. The deadline is 4 p.m. Thursdays for Sunday publication.