Employees of the now-closed Burlington Coat Factory in Carson City on April 22. From left, Kim Aria, Starla Cazel, Terri Hunt, Jamie Helton and Nathaniel Mora. Hobby Lobby is planning to take over the storefront at 4906 S. Carson St.
Photo by Scott Neuffer.
As a contractor was removing the Burlington Coat Factory sign along South Carson Street on Monday, the few remaining employees of the now-closed store were working to get the 70,000-square-foot space ready for a new tenant.
On April 17, two days before Burlington closed, an application for tenant improvements at the location was submitted to Carson City Community Development. The permit information listed pb2 Architecture and Engineering as the contact and the project description as “Tenant remodel of existing Burlington space at 4906 S. Carson Street to a Hobby Lobby retail store.”
Hobby Lobby could not be reached for comment Monday, but Burlington employees told the Appeal they had to hand over the keys by April 30.
Outgoing Burlington Store Manager Terri Hunt said the store had its strongest year in terms of sales last year, but the closure was a business decision involving the lease of the space.
“I want people of Carson to understand it wasn’t our business,” she said. “We enjoyed our relationships and time with you.”
Hunt had been with the store since it opened in 2008. She said she’d taken the severance pay offered by the company — along with many of the store’s 20-plus employees — and would be returning to her home state of Ohio. She applauded Burlington for offering severance pay or store transfer, saying the company handled the closure fairly.
“I’m not from Nevada, so these people (employees, customers) were all the friends and family and support I have had here,” she said.
Hunt said her team tried to make the store “shoppable and presentable when corporate trends went the other way.” She said the store served those who couldn’t shop online.
“Internet shopping is not for everybody,” she said.
Dayton resident Jamie Helton worked at the store for two years and, like Hunt, had chosen the severance pay. She explained she didn’t want to commute to the Reno or Sparks store and was looking for work in the Carson and Dayton area.
“Everything,” she said when asked what she’d miss from Burlington. “My bosses, my coworkers.”
A few customers showed up Monday, trying the locked doors only to be told by employees the store was permanently closed. No one knew when exactly Hobby Lobby planned to open.
According to the website for Hobby Lobby, the chain was founded in 1970, has grown to over 1,000 stores and “is the largest privately owned arts-and-crafts retailer in the world with over 46,000 employees operating in 48 states.”
“Hobby Lobby is primarily an arts-and-crafts store but also includes hobbies, picture framing, jewelry making, fabrics, floral and wedding supplies, cards and party ware, baskets, wearable art, home decor and holiday merchandise,” says the site. “Corporate headquarters include over 12 million square feet of manufacturing, distribution and an office complex in Oklahoma City.”
