Light emergency shows couple need for batteries
By ERIN EDGEMON
June 15th, 2008

Dan and Gita Nightingale know a lot about batteries.

And the owners of the recently opened Batteries Plus, a franchise with more than 330 locations nationwide, are looking forward to sharing that knowledge with Murfreesboro customers.

To prepare for the opening of the store, located at 535 N. Thompson Lane, two doors down from The Chop House, the couple spent four weeks training at the Batteries Plus headquarters in Hartland, Wis.

Dan Nightingale, who has lived in Murfreesboro for 30 years, calls Batteries Plus a one-stop shop for everyone's battery needs.

Batteries Plus is the nation's largest chain focused on the $24 billion battery industry serving both retail and commercial customers. Currently, there are 13 Batteries Plus locations across the state of Tennessee.

The Murfreesboro Batteries Plus store carries more than 1,200 batteries and battery-related products.

"It is not just car batteries," Gita said of the store. "Anything that takes a battery we will have it or we will get it."

Batteries Plus carries batteries for anything including iPods, cell phones, boats and ATVs, two-way radios, golf carts, laptops, scanners, medical equipment and hearing aids.

Technical staff also can build custom battery packs, recondition batteries, install watch batteries and test and recycle batteries.

"It is just a service no one else provides," Dan said.

Rebuilding battery packs for such devices as a cordless drill could save customers more than 20 percent off the cost of a new battery and it will likely last longer, he said.

Additionally, a delivery service is available to industrial and commercial customers.

Opening the store is a dream come true for Dan and Gita. They had been looking for a business to own and operate together for the last four years before Dan stumbled upon Batteries Plus just a little more than a year ago.

It started when Dan visited the Batteries Plus store located on Nolensville Pike in Nashville.

"At the time, I was looking for a battery for an emergency light - within five minutes I had it and was out of there," Dan said.

He then found himself coming to the store again and again first looking for a cell phone battery, then to have a watch battery installed and finally to pick a battery for his 20-year-old camcorder.

Batteries Plus had all of the batteries he was looking for in stock.

"It impressed me that they had a wide range of batteries for regular and commercial use," Dan said. "I couldn't believe how many batteries they had.

"I thought Murfreesboro needed one of these," he added.

But the decision to open their own store wasn't made easily.

Even though Dan and Gita wanted the freedom that comes with owning their own business, they knew leaving their management careers to open a retail store was a risky move.

But they decided to gamble on Batteries Plus' innovative concept and the exceptional customer service they know they could offer customers.

"We can save our customers money and offer them a service at a good value," Dan said.

Erin Edgemon can be reached at 869-0812 and at eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com.

Batteries Plus
535 N. Thompson Lane
895-4446
www.batteriesplus.com

Hours of Operation
Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.