Hobby Lobby dispels rumors that it's closing down all stores

Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby has issued a statement to dispel rumors that the company is closing down all of its stores.

The rumor that Hobby Lobby was shutting down its stores was first reported by the conservative website US Herald. However, the Oklahoma-based company released a statement on Saturday to refute the rumors of store closure.

"Hobby Lobby often hears from concerned customers who have read on social media that the company is closing its doors. The online article gives the impression that Hobby Lobby founder and CEO, David Green, has decided to shut down all Hobby Lobby stores," the statement read.

"The good news is that the report is false. Hobby Lobby is not closing stores. In fact, the company is experiencing tremendous growth, opening 50 new stores in 2017 with plans to open more in the following years. The company looks forward to meeting customers' expectations with super selection and super savings for many years to come," it continued.

The US Herald site claimed in a July 11 post that it has obtained an open letter from Hobby Lobby CEO David Green announcing the closure. The Herald article was reportedly shared approximately 206,000 times on social media, but it no longer appears on the website.

Hobby Lobby, founded in 1972, gained national attention in 2014 after it sued the Obama administration over a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate requiring for-profit companies to provide health care coverage for all FDA-approved birth control, including abortifacients, to their employees.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Hobby Lobby, which is overseen by a devout Christian family, could be exempted from the HHS mandate due in part to being a closely-held family business.

Snopes noted that the rumors of the store closures first appeared in 2012 when the HHS mandate was first proposed. Similar rumors circulated after Hobby Lobby agreed to pay a $3 million fine over claims that the company had brought ancient artifacts illegally smuggled from Iraq.

On July 5, the Department of Justice announced that Hobby Lobby agreed to forfeit about 5,500 artifacts that were obtained from antiquities dealers and pay $3 million to settle the civil charges against the company.

The artifacts, which include cuneiform tablets and bricks, clay bullae and cylinder seals, were reportedly shipped from a dealer based in the United Arab Emirates to three Hobby Lobby corporate addresses in Oklahoma City.

Green denied that the artifacts were purchased from dealers in Iraq and stated that the company has now "implemented acquisition policies and procedures based on the industry's highest standards."