BOOMING BUSINESS: RETAIL STORES PLAN EXPANSIONS TO CAPE

Hobby Lobby Creative Centers is taking job applications for the more than 40 people who will be employed by the retail arts- and crafts-supplies operation that opens next month in Cape Girardeau.

"We're looking at April 12 as our opening date," said a spokesman for the firm, which will build its store at 207-A S. Kingshighway.

"Our store at Cape Girardeau will have about 42,000 square feet of space," said David Green, president of the firm. "It will also include a holiday shop dedicated to seasonal merchandise."

Hobby Lobby is one of a number of big retail stores that have announced they will situate in Cape Girardeau. They include American Superstores of Poplar Bluff and Goodies Clothing Store, which will be in operation this year.

Others are Sam's Club, a division of Wal-Mart, and Lowe's Home Center, which will be constructing a 100,000-square-feet-plus buildings in Cape West Business Park.

When the five are in operation, it will represent more than 360,000 square feet of retail space.

Philip Sante will manage the new Hobby Lobby store. He has been working in management with Hobby Lobby at Lubbock, Texas.

Hobby Lobby has 50 stores in seven states: Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Colorado, Arkansas and New Mexico. Each store carries more than 27,000 items.

"We feature a variety of products," said Green. "We have the traditional arts and crafts supplies, fashion fabrics, baskets, needlework, picture framing, cards, party supplies, floral and silk flowers, and season merchandise."

The store will be the sixth Hobby Lobby in Missouri. Other operations are at Kansas City, Blue Springs, St. Joseph, Springfield and Jefferson City.

American Superstores, sales and service for many brands of video, appliances, audio equipment and electronics, furniture and bedding, announced last weekend that it was looking to an early May opening at 201 S. Broadview. It will be in the 45,000-square-foot building that previously housed a Storey's Food Giant store.

The American Superstores operation will be the second for American Superstores, a part of Nationwide, a television and appliance group with more than 1,400 stores across the nation. Its sales are in excess of $3.5 billion, said Marion Tibbs, general manager of the Poplar Bluff company, who announced the store was situating here.

"Cape Girardeau is a growing market in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois," said J.W. Marquis of Poplar Bluff, president of American Superstores. "We want to be part of the success in that area."

Goodies Clothing Store announced last week that it would open a 25,000-square-foot operation in Cape Girardeau.

"We don't have an exact date for opening," said a Goodies spokesman, "but we hope to be in place in Cape Girardeau during the third quarter of the year."

Sam's Club is looking to an early 1994 opening in Cape Girardeau West Business Park.

"Ground work is expected to get under way this spring," said a spokesman from Bentonville, Ark. Thursday. "The target date for opening is in early 1994."

Sam's Club officials said they will build a 134,900-square-foot warehouse adjacent to the Wal-Mart Supercenter near the Route K-Siemers Drive intersection.

Sam's, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is the largest members-only buying club in the United States, providing name brand merchandise at warehouse prices to businesses and selected employment groups.

Sam's Wholesale Clubs feature two prototype warehouses one of 110,000 square feet and another of 135,000 square feet of no frills, cash-and-carry general merchandise.

The Cape Girardeau warehouse will consist of the latter prototype design, 134,900 square feet.

The first Sam's Clubs opened in 1983 in three locations. Since then more than 100 of the clubs have cropped up.

The Cape Girardeau club will be the 13th in Missouri.

Sam's Clubs generally target small-business customers who typically do not have the buying power to make volume purchases at low prices.

A total of 3,500 items will be available at Sam's. This includes a complete line of food products; tires, batteries and other auto supplies; small, building equipment and hardware; watches and jewelry; offices supplies, computers and equipment; large and small appliances, including televisions, VCRs and camcorders; home furnishings; designer clothing and sheets and towels.

Lowe's, the second largest chain of home centers in the United States, will be on a site southeast of Cape Girardeau's Wal-Mart Supercenter, west of Interstate 55, in a 115,000-square-foot building.

Lowe's has 306 stores nationwide, and 1991 sales revenue exceeded $3 billion.

Clarissa Phelps of the Lowe's public relations department said final details of the project are being discussed by the company.