Hobby Lobby has started renovating the 63,000-square-foot former Sears store at the Bend River Promenade, the company announced recently.

The store on Northeast Third Street will be the second Hobby Lobby in Oregon. The other is located in Albany. The privately held Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby has more than 600 of its craft and home decor stores nationwide, according to its website.

The company expects to employ between 35 and 50 people at the Bend store, which is scheduled to open Jan. 23. Typically, about four weeks before a store opens, Hobby Lobby places notices in local classified ads letting applicants know how to apply for jobs, according to Vincent Parker, company representative.

Stores average about 55,000 square feet, according to the company, and offer about 70,000 products.

The Sears department store and the Sears Auto Center closed in December 2013 after about 60 years of operation in Bend.

— Bulletin staff report