PITTSTON — Lora Hobbs has a lot on her plate.
In addition to running two locations of her business Live With It by Lora Hobbs, she’s also a grandmother to two infants.
Because of her commitment to her family, Hobbs has decided to close her storefront located on the corner of William and Main Streets.
“It’s hard to leave Pittston,” Hobbs said. “I have two daughters, and I really never thought that I’d have two grandbabies within 10 months apart. I want to be a really active grandparent and I feel torn. I went with the grandparenting.”
Hobbs started her business 28 years ago in Peckville, selling year-round gifts, wedding and table top gifts. The business also serves as a wedding registry for soon-to-be brides.
After 25 years at the original location, Hobbs made the decision to open a Pittston location.
“(My daughter) was coming home from delivering something at the Irem Temple Golf Club, and she came up through William Street and saw that pretty location on the corner,” Hobbs said. “We saw how adorable the town was getting refurbished, and I often times went to Boden (Outlet) and noticed that, as well.”
“Over the years, at the point we were in business about 25 years, and a lot of people said we should have a presence in Luzerne County. We didn’t want to travel too far, but thought the location was pretty.”
Her presence in Luzerne County is coming to an end.
Hobbs hopes to have everything moved out of the Pittston location by the end of February, but that plan is dependent on the weather.
She said customers shouldn’t expect a big blowout sale.
“I’m not a big fan of goodbyes, so we wanted to just move out,” Hobbs said. “There’s been nothing official, but we’ve been there cleaning up, packing up, and moving out.”
She also noted that customers with gift cards and store points can still buy online at www.livewithitbylorahobbs.com, although that might not be as simple as logging on and clicking buttons to make purchases.
“They might have to do the end-of-the-transaction by calling on the phone,” she said.
With a three-year run in Pittston coming to an end and a new life ahead of her as a hands-on grandparent, Hobbs said she’ll miss the area, particularly the people.
“I’m going to miss the people and how sweet they were,” she said. “It was a very nice experience. It got a little bit more active and I would’ve tried to pay a manager to run the shop, but I couldn’t swing that.”
