Batteries store to open on Monday
Robert Warner
August 23rd, 2008

The owners of Attic Storage on Helmer Road will diversify into retail with Monday's opening of a Batteries Plus shop.

The store occupies part of the office space at Attic Storage, 15611 S. Helmer Road, just north of Columbia Avenue.

It's owned by Tom Austin, a Kellogg Co. retiree, and his family, who opened the storage business four years ago.

The store sells batteries from the common AA size to high-performance, pure-lead units for race cars.

"We have batteries for everything," Austin said. "From a hearing aid battery all the way up to truck and bus batteries and virtually everything in between."

He said the store is starting out with about $90,000 in inventory.

"We do change watch batteries here; we'll put a battery in your car if you need it," said Austin, of Delton.

"There's probably close to 1,000 different batteries here," he said.

The store is the 12th Batteries Plus franchise in Michigan. The nearest stores are in Portage and Ann Arbor.

Helping prepare the store for Monday's opening were members of the Austin family, including Tom Austin's granddaughter, Abby Austin, 6, of Battle Creek. She was sliding plastic clips onto the arms of a display rack to keep the battery packages toward the front of the arms.

The store sells a wide variety of battery brands, including Rayovac, Duracell and Energizer, plus a house brand, Werker.

"I have a son and three daughters and we all get together and talk about what we're gonna do," Austin said. "I'm thinking more and more that maybe one of these days I'm gonna really retire. I won't stop working because I've always gotta have something to do. I just won't be coming in here every day, maybe, and spend a little more time fishing and woodworking."

The store will employ a manager, commercial salesman and two other sales people, Austin said.

BATTERIES PLUS

ADDRESS: 15611 S. Helmer Road, in the Attic Storage building.

HOURS: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays.

PHONE: 965-6733.

ON THE WEB: www.batteriesplus.com