I saw this in the Dallas Morning News. I do not see where this was reported by the Jokelahoman. Please correct me if I am wrong.



https://www.dallasnews.com/business/retail/2019/02/12/hobby-lobby-closing-hemispheres-furniture-chain-amid-new-store-online-competition

Hobby Lobby to shutter all Hemispheres stores (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=575-Hobby-Lobby-to-shutter-all-Hemispheres-stores)

In an email to vendors on Monday, the president of Hemispheres indicated the chain will close all its stores by the end of the year.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/hemispheres1.jpg
Hemipheres in North Oklahoma City

Founded in 2001 by Hobby Lobby founder David Green, the chain started with ambitious plans. Green had hoped to grow it into a billion-dollar business and run parallel to the booming Hobby Lobby enterprise.

Hemispheres carries a wide variety of furniture and home accents and operates two stores in the Oklahoma City area: 2225 NW 140th Street near Quail Springs Mall and 640 SW 19th in Moore. Both stores are approximately 50,000 square feet in size and the Hobby Lobby organization owns the property.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/hemispheres2.jpg
Hemispheres in Moore

The remaining 6 locations are in Texas. The chain had closed a store in Lewisburg, Texas last year.

The email also indicated that the stores will sell off existing inventory and begin the process of winding down the store operations.

Not really surprised. I’ve been in twice over the years and it just seemed like an odd mix of merchandise. I’m sorry to see any venture not work but some just don’t.

The furniture business is very tough with low margins.

I'm sure they determined their money and efforts were better spent on continuing to expand Hobby Lobby. I know they have just started to open stores in California, for example.

The furniture business is very tough with low margins.

I'm sure they determined their money and efforts were better spent on continuing to expand Hobby Lobby. I know they have just started to open stores in California, for example.

Looks like they already have over 40 locations in California and 20 or so in the Pacific Northwest

Looks like they already have over 40 locations in California and 20 or so in the Pacific Northwest

All very recent, though.

They opened the first in California like 4 years ago.

We've gone in a few times to look for outdoor furniture. We could always find the same quality for a better price.

As Pete said, they most likely determined that Hobby Lobby is their gold mine. They could literally put one in a corn field in Iowa, and people would drive to it. This was always a weird store to me. Seemed to upscale for what was being offered.

Upscale prices and Hobby Lobby Quality. I am surprised it stayed open this long.

I have never been to Hemispheres, and I like Hobby Lobby...but if Hemispheres furniture is anything like the furniture Hobby Lobby sells….good riddance.

Actually, they sold some high end brand outdoor furniture. It's just that you can get that same high end stuff cheaper at other stores.

And furniture sales are really starting to break through on the internet.

Big sites like Wayfair and even Amazon are great options.

In fact, my last 2 big furniture purchases have been on-line and I was very pleased with them.


Getting ready to do that for office furniture as well.

And furniture sales are really starting to break through on the internet.

Big sites like Wayfair and even Amazon are great options.

In fact, my last 2 big furniture purchases have been on-line and I was very pleased with them.


Getting ready to do that for office furniture as well.
Then you have places like Nebraska Furniture Mart dominating in their region. I wonder if we'll ever get one here?

Then you have places like Nebraska Furniture Mart dominating in their region. I wonder if we'll ever get one here?

Mathis Brothers is our equivalent.

Even though their store size is much smaller, they are almost done with nearly doubling what they already had at 3434 W. Reno.

I am never happy to see a business close and people lose their jobs. I too, like their outdoor furniture and fountains. The price was just too much. Most of their indoor home accessories seemed too gaudy.

I've been waiting decades for Nathan to open an "Unpainted Arizona" store. You can pick the color of the finish that way.

And furniture sales are really starting to break through on the internet.

Big sites like Wayfair and even Amazon are great options.

In fact, my last 2 big furniture purchases have been on-line and I was very pleased with them.


Getting ready to do that for office furniture as well.We've ended up buying a lot from RH online because we don't have one here. But everything is so customizable that if we had one here we would take advantage and go in store, probably more. But online is a good alternative. But it's a nightmare when there is a snafu-- when there is no one local to talk to it's super hard to get something rectified.

Perhaps, it is simply The Karma of OverDevelopment related to smuggling in Holy Texts from elsewhere, adjacent to The (so-called) Intersection From Hell? =~) Nah. That's too easy. Ain't it?

Perhaps, it is simply The Karma of OverDevelopment related to smuggling in Holy Texts from elsewhere, adjacent to The (so-called) Intersection From Hell? =~) Nah. That's too easy. Ain't it?
Maybe it’s the one hit wonder trying to go upscale.

I am never happy to see a business close and people lose their jobs. I too, like their outdoor furniture and fountains. The price was just too much. Most of their indoor home accessories seemed too gaudy.

I've been waiting decades for Nathan to open an "Unpainted Arizona" store. You can pick the color of the finish that way.

ROTFLMAO

Son, you got a panty on your head.

The place never had anything that I liked and I thought the prices high for cheap quality furnature ie painted particle board furnature made in China. Not my taste. I perfer real wood furnature that will last me the rest o my life. My taste is victorian style furnature. Looking around and cannot find any golden oak furnature in the stores.

I was in there this weekend, just browsing to see if there were any deals to be had. It doesn't look like they've dropped their prices much. There were some unique things I thought were pretty cool, especially in patio furnishings, but they were still way out of my price range. There was a REALLY nice executive desk by Hooker that caught my eye, but my wallet started begging me to walk away when I approached it. :)

Maybe when they get closer to closing, they'll have better pricing.

Upscale prices and Hobby Lobby Quality. I am surprised it stayed open this long.

This ^^^ I thought it to be just more cheap crap from China. I ended up purchasing at Ethan Allen.

when's the sale? Now is the time for me to clean up on props for GoT renactments; hemis was best for those

I couldn’t think of a better spot for WholeFoods than the old Hemispheres on memorial, just by Lifetime Fitness. CRBE should talk to them. How’s the size of the space compared to a WholeFoods?

I couldn’t think of a better spot for WholeFoods than the old Hemispheres on memorial, just by Lifetime Fitness. CRBE should talk to them. How’s the size of the space compared to a WholeFoods?

Whole Foods in OKC is just under 42,000 square feet. The old Hemispheres near Quail Springs Mall is just under 50,000 square feet. Hobby Lobby still owns the old Hemisphere's space.

The available sign is gone and they replaced the blacked-out hemispheres sign with a new blank one. Anything going on here?

The available sign is gone and they replaced the blacked-out hemispheres sign with a new blank one. Anything going on here?

There hasn't been any permits at all.

Perhaps it's one of those pop-up Halloween stores.

Hopefully not because they just put one across the street next to Metro Shoe

Which location? The Oklahoman had an article saying the north side location was purchased by MidFirst Bank.

Which location? The Oklahoman had an article saying the north side location was purchased by MidFirst Bank.

The one near QS Mall was purchased by MidFirst in June.

It's a very large property so hard to imagine it would be for bank use, but who knows.

It may be for an operations office of some sort.

I believe they leased or are still leasing space at Memorial and Western.

They started work on the north location. Is MidFirst doing any work to the exterior too?

They started work on the north location. Is MidFirst doing any work to the exterior too?

Looks like just signage.

The interior will be a cubical farm. I'm sure this is back-office operations for them.

HTTP://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/midfirst011422a.jpg

Drove by the old Hemispheres just east of Quail Springs mall and saw a large expansion of the parking lot was going in. Does anyone know what is going into the old building? I didn't see a sign out front.

Drove by the old Hemispheres just east of Quail Springs mall and saw a large expansion of the parking lot was going in. Does anyone know what is going into the old building? I didn't see a sign out front.

It's some sort of back-office operation for MidFirst bank.

Rows and rows of cubicles.

Midfirst owns Midland Mortgage which does a huge amount of mortgage lending and mortgage servicing. This could be an expansion for them.

^It’s going to be the Midland Mort call center.

Floor plan from above:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/midfirst011422a.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/hemispheres092823a.jpg

I wish they would remove or landscape those ugly medians

I wish they would remove or landscape those ugly medians

beautifully said. even something low maintenance (like small rocks/gravel with some beautiful cacti) would represent a big league improvement.

totally agree. with all these beautification projects i don’t understand why one of (if not the busiest) corridor of OKC is so ignored. little changes would make a huge impact for this area.

From looking at the drone photo, landscaping the medians would be about the last thing that needed to happen to beautify this corridor. Honestly, I'm not sure what the point would even be.

beautifully said. even something low maintenance (like small rocks/gravel with some beautiful cacti) would represent a big league improvement.

Those medians absolutely do not need gravel. Every bit would be in the street, kicked there by the panhandlers.

To be fair, The median south of the turnpike is landscaped nicely. I think it is sponsored by a company. Same with the intersections at MacArthur in May around the turnpike. And they are all maintained.