More Than a Hobby: How a $600 Startup Became America's Home and Craft Superstore

I ordered this book because of my familiarity with Hobby Lobby craft stores. I have found them to be a cut above other similar businesses, and was curious as to how Mr. Green got started and the way he runs them, especially in view of his practice of being closed on Sundays, closing the doors at 8:00pm instead of 9:00 or later, and his inspirational Christmas Day advertising in the newspapers. The book did not disappoint me. In addition to satisfying my curiosity, it provided insight into the probable reasons for this chain's success, as well as guidelines I can implement in my own business. A great read for anyone interested in a no-nonsense approach to running a sucessful enterprise.

I thought the book would be the success story of Hobby Lobby but it is much more. The author's principles of retailing are solid practices that all retailers should adopt. That is the reason the store is a delight to shop.

My wife "discovered" Hobby Lobby while I was training for my job in Oklahoma City several years ago. We were newly weds at the time, and my wife was far from home with no friends, and was very homesick. She enjoyed going in and looking around the store as an escape, and eventually took some classes there. After a couple of weeks, we went to a local church to visit, and the most pleasant woman came up to us and greeted us. She was kind and charming, and was one of the very few that morning that truly made us feel welcome. She was Barbara Green. At the time, we did not know that the Green's were the owners of Hobby Lobby. We learned later what you get a great sense of in this book. David and Barbara Green are genuine, good folks. Everything that Mr. Green espouses in his book is true, and he actually does live what he believes. It is refreshing to read a book that goes against the grain of the cut-throat retail business and the politically correct landscape of America today. I enjoyed reading "Not Just a Hobby" very much, and did so in an afternoon. The book is very engaging and well written, in my opinion, and is just like sitting across the table from Mr. Green as he reminisces about his past and the lessons that he learned along the way. As a bonus, you get some sage advice for living, that you would do well to consider! This book is good for anyone who likes to read a book where the good guy wins! I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone with a teenager who will soon enter the job market. If everyone would set their goals as high as Mr. Green did, and as he expects his employees to do, it would be a greater pleasure to go shopping. Thanks, David, for writing this book, it is an inspiration. God bless you also for being a father and grandfather of principle, and for building God's kingdom in ways no one will ever know about but Him.

I found Hobby Lobby when we lived in Atlanta, Georgia and shopped in the Gwinnett store. When we moved to Chicago, I was thrilled to find Hobby Lobby in Vernon Hills and Round Lake, Illinois. Now, however, we are moving back to New Jersey and I am dismayed to learn that there is no Hobby Lobby even remotely close to my new home. I wrote to the Headquarters and found that they do not build new locations more than 1000 miles from their headquarter location. I know that the east coast would be a good market for the store and am hoping that they will take the chance and give to rest of the nation the opportunity to enjoy the Hobby Lobby experience.......

There is no way I could express what Hobby Lobby has meant to me over the years. I have never worked for Hobby Lobby but I think of it as "my" store. My first HL was the Tulsa store on Mingo. Now I live in Georgia and my store is in Buford. I can only describe it as a sanctuary. It came as no real surprise to me that David Green is a Christian and applies his ethics to his business. This is apparent in his stores, from the merchandise to the music that doesn't assault you when you enter. I read the book in one sitting and since I wasn't expecting it to be an edge-of-the seat gripper, I enjoyed every page. Mostly I appreciated learning how it all came to be. God bless David Green, his family and his business. Some people quietly choose to live their lives with real purpose and in so doing make a real difference in this world, others just make noises and spend their lives compromising. How refreshing to see that commerce can be ethical.