As locals wait impatiently for a local crafting store, progress at the Hobby Lobby at the LaGrange Mall is slowly moving forward.

According to the most recent update from the store’s representatives, the LaGrange location will open sometime early in 2018. An exact opening date has not yet been set, but representatives confirmed that they are excited to be opening a store in LaGrange.

“We’ve had our eye on LaGrange for a while,” said Bob Miller, Hobby Lobby’s communications coordinator. “There are currently 40 Hobby Lobby locations in Georgia. With the great response, we’ve received from customers in those stores, we believe LaGrange is going to be an excellent location. We are eager to get the doors open on the LaGrange store and look forward to being part of the community.”

According to Miller, the 55,000 square-foot LaGrange Hobby Lobby will carry more than 70,000 crafting and home décor products including floral, fabric, needle art, custom framing, baskets, home accents, wearable art, wedding supplies, arts and crafts, jewelry making, scrapbooking and paper crafting supplies. The local store will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Like all Hobby Lobby locations, the LaGrange store will be closed on Sundays.

The store should bring between 35 to 50 jobs to the community, and Hobby Lobby plans to hold a hiring event prior to the store opening. The date of the event has not yet been set. The chain currently pays $15.70 an hour for full-time employees and $10.45 for part-time.

For the most recent updates on Hobby Lobby’s hiring, visit Careers.hobbylobby.com.

For the latest updates from the LaGrange Mall, visit its page on Facebook.