Americans are expected to spend a record $13.5 billion on Halloween this year, but Hobby Lobby is sitting out a lucrative part of the holiday shopping season, a decision its founder says is rooted in his Christian faith.
Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green has said the arts-and-crafts retailer previously sold more than $22 million in Halloween merchandise before discontinuing the products.
Green explained his decision during an interview with Faith Driven Entrepreneur.
“I was carrying Halloween merchandise as an example and we sold over $22 million worth of it,” Green said.
“And I just felt in my spirit that God says, don’t sell this.”
Green said he subsequently stopped carrying the merchandise despite the financial consequences.
“And so I got out of the Halloween business and I lost the sales,” he said.
The comments resurfaced in an October 15 Newsmax report examining the company’s decision.
Green has also described Halloween as a dark holiday associated with death, according to an October 24 account of his remarks.
The $22 million figure refers to historical merchandise sales, not profits or a newly announced loss. Green did not specify the year associated with those sales in the Faith Driven Entrepreneur interview.
Although Green has linked the Halloween decision to his religious convictions, Hobby Lobby previously offered a broader business explanation for discontinuing several seasonal merchandise lines.
In a company statement published in 2023, Hobby Lobby said it had eliminated certain seasonal products to make room for stronger-selling merchandise.
“Due to the need to find additional space for some of our stronger categories as well as our newer ones, the decision was made over the last couple of years to discontinue several seasonal product lines, including Mardi Gras, Halloween and Hanukkah,” the company said, according to a report by KGTV.
The statement attributed the changes to merchandise assortment decisions rather than religious considerations. The company has not established that religious objections were the sole reason behind all three discontinued categories.
Hobby Lobby’s position contrasts with Americans’ growing spending on Halloween.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the National Retail Federation expects consumers to spend $13.5 billion on Halloween in 2026, surpassing last year’s record of $13.1 billion if the forecast holds.
According to the NRF’s September 22 survey, Americans are projected to spend $4.4 billion on costumes, $4.3 billion on decorations, and $4.1 billion on candy.
Approximately 74% of consumers plan to celebrate Halloween this year, with 42% expecting to decorate their homes or yards.
The survey also found that shoppers expect to spend an average of $115.14 per person.
Competing arts-and-crafts retailer Michaels continues to sell Halloween-specific merchandise, including themed decorations and crafting supplies, while Hobby Lobby emphasizes traditional fall and Thanksgiving products.
Hobby Lobby’s approach to Halloween is one of several business decisions Green has publicly attributed to his Christian beliefs.
According to the company’s official history, David and Barbara Green borrowed $600 in 1970 to begin making miniature picture frames in their home.
They opened their first retail store in Oklahoma City in 1972.
The privately owned retailer has since expanded to more than 1,000 stores across 48 states, with approximately 50,000 employees.
Its published corporate values include operating according to biblical principles, supporting employees and their families, and providing customers with a broad selection of merchandise.
Hobby Lobby also closes all its stores on Sundays.
“We have chosen to close on the day most widely recognized as a day of rest, in order to allow our employees and customers more time for worship and family,” the company states on its website.
The company acknowledges that the policy can carry financial consequences but describes it as a matter of principle.
More recently, Hobby Lobby announced October 5 that it raised its minimum full-time hourly wage to $21.
“A pillar of our success is taking care of our employees,” Green said in the announcement.
Despite its decision not to sell Halloween-specific merchandise, Hobby Lobby continues expanding its retail operations.
On October 2, the company opened a 55,000-square-foot store at 4127 East U.S. Highway 377 in Granbury.
The opening marked Hobby Lobby’s 121st Texas location, according to the company’s announcement.
The retailer also opened a Dallas location at 8005 Park Lane in March 2025.
For consumers shopping ahead of Halloween on Saturday, October 31, Hobby Lobby continues offering pumpkins, scarecrows, autumn decorations, and other fall merchandise rather than a dedicated Halloween assortment.
Provided by Dallas Express
