Dodge City Hobby Lobby Store Closing Statement

City of Dodge City 

DODGE CITY, Kansas – The Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation has confirmed that Hobby Lobby will be closing their Dodge City store.  Although Dodge City has seen an increase in retail sales since the opening of Sutherland’s, a corporate representative explained that their decision was based on a decline in sales in their regional stores over the last three years and the expiration of their current lease agreement.

“We had reached out to Hobby Lobby to see if there was any assistance that the Development Corporation and the City of Dodge City could provide to keep the store in our community,” Joann Knight, Executive Director of the Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation said. “There has been an upward growth of sales in recent months; however, their decision was already in place.”

Knight stated that the representative also noted that they review their rural markets on a regular basis, and if they see an increase in retail sales in the Dodge City market, they will evaluate the potential of bringing a store back to the community.  

“We have been in contact with Kansas Workforce to bring in their Workforce One Rapid Response program to assist the employees affected by this relocation in finding new employment,” Knight said.

Anna Bjerken, President/CEO of the Dodge City Area Chamber of Commerce, encourages the community to keep in mind that there are several local stores with similar products.

“It is important to continue supporting our local retailers to be able to retain their investments,” Bjerken said. “Shopping local is vital to our local economy’s success.”