Hobby Lobby closed down its Ohio stores after Attorney General Dave Yost ordered the company to shut down its locations here, including three in the Toledo area, so as to come into compliance with the state’s ‘stay-at-home’ order barring non-essential businesses from operating.
The business drew the scrutiny of the state executive branch on Wednesday as its stores remained open. Employees at locations on Monroe Street in Toledo and in Holland and Perrysburg told The Blade in the morning they were running under their normal business hours. Further questions were referred to Hobby Lobby's corporate office, which did not respond to a request for comment.
By the afternoon Mr. Yost had sent a cease and desist letter to Hobby Lobby’s general counsel, and then he announced on social media Wednesday evening that the store had agreed to comply.
“It does not appear that Hobby Lobby meets the criteria outlined in the [stay-at-home order],” the letter stated. “On behalf of the Department of Health, you are ordered to immediately cease and desist operations.”
A City of Toledo spokesman also told The Blade late Wednesday that Toledo police officers would be visiting the Monroe Street location and asking management there to close. The spokesman said the business will be issued a citation if the police order is refused.
Business Insider reported Monday that all 19 Ohio stores reopened despite the state's stay-at-home order. A memo was sent to managers with instructions for speaking with authorities who question why the stores are open.
A post from March 17 on the company’s website says it “continues to closely monitor” the coronavirus situation.
“We have increased the frequency of store cleaning, including more cleaning of areas regularly touched by customers and employees, with anti-viral cleaning products throughout the day,” the post said. “We encourage everyone to stay informed with the latest information, such as guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
JOANN Fabrics stores are also open, although Toledo police Sgt. Erik Welling said they are considered an essential business. The fabrics stores are donating materials for making masks and gowns for medical personnel and first responders.
An employee at the Reynolds Road location in South Toledo said the store is open, but online orders with curbside pickup is encouraged.
In reaction to a reporter's question specifically about Hobby Lobby despite his order requiring all non-essential businesses to remain shuttered, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said during his daily briefing that mayors have the authority to shut such businesses down in conjunction with local health departments.
“Look, this is a national emergency,” he said. “This is a state emergency. What people do in their own life is usually their own business. But when what they do in their own life endangers other people, we have to take action.
“We want government to leave us alone, but if it's endangering all of us, government has to take action. ... The enforcement is very, very important,” he said.
Eric Zgodzinski, the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department health commissioner, said some might consider Hobby Lobby to be an essential business, but he does not.
"I would suggest that Hobby Lobby truly look at themselves and figure out if they need to be open at this time, if they are actually providing a service to the community," he said.
Mr. Zgodzinski said he encourages all businesses that still are open to ask themselves if they are willing to take the chance of spreading coronavirus because they believe they need to provide an essential service.
"Grocery stores? Yes. Hardware stores? Yes. Hobby Lobby? Maybe not," he said.
The 23-page stay at home order has been in place for weeks, but plenty of gray area remains about which businesses are considered essential. Mattress and furniture retailers, hardware stores, and laundry services are among the group of businesses permitted to remain open.
Mr. DeWine said he will issue a revised order on Thursday that is expected to try to clarify such issues.
Hobby Lobby calls itself a "biblically founded business" and is closed on Sundays. The company has also courted controversy in the past for, among other things, opposing Obama administration health-care rules requiring employers to provide contraceptive products and care to employees.
Mr. DeWine on Wednesday also took aim at churches that continue to congregate.
“It is not a Christian thing to do...,” he said. “It is not a Judao-Christian tradition to hurt people. I'm sure no one intends to do that, but bringing people together, you are risking their health, you are risking your health, and you are risking total strangers' health. This is just a huge, huge mistake.”
Blade Staff Writers Jim Provance, Sarah Elms, Kate Snyder, and Blade news services contributed to this report.
First Published April 1, 2020, 5:12 p.m.