Get a taste of our vendors!

Friday, September 26, 2008 10:15am
by Lisa Bingham

Just walking in to the Verona store you will find a variety of vendor tents to browse through. Get a taste of some jambalaya, root beer, or beef jerky as vendors provide all sorts of yummy samples. You can also sit down to test out our Cub Cadet NASCAR Race Car simulator and see Jeff Burton's #31 Lenox NASCAR car and the "Hackman" Cut-A-Car-In-Half demo at 3pm today. More of a tool guy? We have our DeWalt and Hobart experts out there for questions and demos.

Another exciting day in store...

Friday, September 26, 2008 9:00am
by Renee Tarnutzer

What an amazing day yesterday. And, today the doors aren't open yet but as I look over the sales floor, I see tons of associates busily working to get the store ready for day two of the Verona Grand opening event. If you stopped in yesterday, be sure to check to see if you are a winner. We'll be drawing winner's names throughout the day again today. If you registered yesterday, and even if you won yesterday, you can stop in to register for more prizes today.

Just like yesterday, there's a lot going on today. Ray Ainsworth, the horse whisperer, will be here today at 10:00am and 2:00pm. He's absolutely amazing to watch. We'll have dog training demonstrations, food demonstrations and to top off the day, ex-packer president, Bob Harlan, will be here from 5:00pm to 6:00pm.

We'll be updating the blog through the day, so stay tuned...

The first day comes to a close

Thursday, September 25, 2008 9:00pm
by Renee Tarnutzer

 

The first day of the grand opening event has come to a close and although it was a lot of fun, tomorrow and Saturday promise to be just as great. You still have time to come out and register for prizes on Friday and Saturday, plus take advantage of incredible prices and see all the vendors and demonstrations!

The Amazing Kenseths

Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:18pm
by Renee Tarnutzer

 

If you've ever watched Matt or Ross race, you know that amazing is just the first word that describes these two. After seeing them meet and greet customers and sign over 500 autographs tonight, remarkable, authentic and first-class come to mind as well. Fans of all ages came out to see the three generations, Roy, Matt and Ross and the excitement that was in the air could be felt throughout the store. Really, it was an awesome experience and I'm sure anyone who was here would tell you the same thing.

So, our hats off to these guys for making tonight a spectacular night for Farm & Fleet and all our customers.

If you get a chance to watch tonight, Channel 15 and Channel 27 both paid us visits tonight while the Kenseth's were here. Don't forget tomorrow night will be Bob Harlan!

NASCAR Race Car Driver, Jamie McMurray

Thursday, September 25, 2008 4:35pm
by Lisa Bingham

 

We were happy to see Jamie McMurray stop by the store today with his Irwin sponsor. We have a variety of great deals going on at the event in our Hardware and Home Improvement departments. Browse our Verona Grand Opening Sales flyer.

Click here to view our Irwin tools in our online catalog for our Anniversary Sale deals.

Barry Alvarez stopped by the store.

Thursday, September 25, 2008 1:48pm
by Lisa Bingham

Barry stopped by to sign a few autographs today! Click here to see everyone who is planning to stop by for autographs.

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The Grand Opening has begun!

Thursday, September 25, 2008 10:57am
by Renee Tarnutzer

 

The doors opened this morning right on time and many customers were just waiting to get inside to register for these great prizes and take advantage of the great sale prices throughout the stores. The Alfred Dunner fashion show is going on right now and in about an hour, Barry Alvarez will be here signing his book "Don't Flinch". We're excited to be here and this weekend promises to be great fun for everyone who stops by. Keep checking back often and we'll keep you updated with grand opening happenings right here on this blog.

Just released

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 8:57am
by Renee Tarnutzer

This just released...Wahl Clipper will be offering customers complimentary hair cuts on Friday, September 26th from Noon to 5:00pm and again on Saturday, September 27th from 11:00am to 3:00pm. They do a fantastic job so be sure to stop into our houseware department one of those days and get yourself a new doo!

Schedule of events released

Thursday, September 18, 2008 1:04pm
by Renee Tarnutzer

We've officially released the schedule of events for the Verona Grand Opening event September 25 - 27. It's going to be a lot of fun and there will be tons to see and do. Mark it on your calendar and plan on being there!

Madison Metro sets up bus stop at Blain's Farm & Fleet of Verona

Thursday, September 11, 2008 7:57pm
by Renee Tarnutzer

Exciting news from Madison Metro. As of yesterday, Metro staff officially placed some interim bus
stop signs on East Verona Avenue at the signalized intersection with Hometown Circle this afternoon, in order to serve the new Farm & Fleet store. Passengers can start using the stop on the north side of Verona Avenue in the afternoon, and the stop on the south side during the three
morning trips. Over the next few weeks, City of Verona staff will able to install the permanent sign plaques.

Effective Monday, October 6th, Route 55 trips will travel both directions along Verona Avenue during the morning and afternoon trips, so trips using the stop on the north side of the street will be for
service west into Verona and towards Epic - while the stop on the south side of the street will be for trips into Madison and towards the West Transfer Point.

Verona Grand Opening is sure to be a HUGE event

Thursday, August 28, 2008 3:12pm
by Renee Tarnutzer

If you don't have the dates marked on your calendar yet, you need to plan on stopping out for our Grand Opening event scheduled at the end of September. Now, if you've never been to one of Blain's Farm & Fleet Grand Opening Events, well, you're in for an exciting time. Our Grand Opening Events are much more than just a sale, they are truly an event. Sure, you'll find great prices that you can only find at the Verona store, but there will be so much to see and do that you'll want to stop out all three days!

Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Barry Alverez, Bob Harlan, Bo Ryan, Ray Ainsworth, Barbie, and SpongeBob SquarePants are all going to be there. There will be dog training seminars, NASCAR cars, fashion shows and more. Plus, you'll be able to register for all those gift cards we'll be giving away.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Keep your eyes posted here and we'll keep you updated with a full schedule of events as well as updates throughout the Grand Opening celebration!

 

Verona store is now open

Thursday, August 14, 2008 8:49am
by Renee Tarnutzer

Well, after being in the works for almost two years, at about 8:21 this morning we opened the doors to our 34th store in the Blain's Farm & Fleet chain. We had a lovely ribbon cutting ceremony which was viewed by all our employees and many customers hoping to be the first one in the new store.

The store is really quite amazing. Wider aisles, a full assortment of products from virtually every vendor that we have combined with the green effort - it's all worth making the trip over to see what it's all about.

And don't forget, our denim days sale starts today. You can view the ad right here on our web site but if you're looking for back to school clothes for the kids, especially jeans, there's only one place to be and that's Blain's Farm & Fleet.

More to come a little later!

 

Verona is looking good!

Thursday, August 07, 2008 7:25am
by Renee Tarnutzer

The Verona store is looking great!

 

Everything Green at the new store

Tuesday, August 5, 2008 4:00pm
by Renee Tarnutzer

We are getting ready to open the doors to their new green store located at 600 Hometown Circle in Verona, WI. The 114,500 square foot store, designed to be environmentally friendly, will officially open to the public on August 14th with a grand opening celebration to be scheduled later in the fall.

The new concept store focuses on offering customers high-quality products, competitive prices and reliable service while reducing the store's carbon footprint on the environment:

• A significant amount of the existing nursing home that was demolished and crushed was used for backfill material instead of sending it to a landfill. In all, over 300 truckloads of material were saved from ending up in a landfill.
• Over 120 trees that were on site prior to building were transplanted instead of destroyed. A majority of the trees were transplanted onto the existing site, but approximately 35 trees were used to create a natural fence between Badger Prairie Park and Blain's Farm & Fleet.
• Clerestory windows are reducing the need for artificial lighting.
• Any oil generated from oil changes will be turned into an alternative fuel source via clean burn waste that will heat the service center.
• Over 160 skylights will be used to harvest daylight that will provide approximately 30% energy savings.
• Waterless urinals will be used in the restrooms saving up to 40,000 gallons of water per fixture per year.
• Instant water heaters will be used in the building eliminating stand-by heat associated with conventional tank type water heaters.
• An energy management system will be used in the building to control lighting and HVAC equipment.
  The steel used in the building was purchased from Butler Manufacturing Company of Kansas City, MO. Steel from Butler Manufacturing Company is 65% recycled material.
• The building is a super insulated building with 50% more wall and roof insulation than the minimum code requirements.
• Throughout the building, light fixtures that are 20% more energy efficient than previous buildings are being utilized.
• In order to reduce overall electrical usage, occupancy light sensors are being used in all office areas and restrooms. Additionally, photo control will be used for the retail sales floor, automatically turning off lights when there is enough natural light and automatically turning on lights when it becomes too dark.
• All outdoor signage will be LED instead of neon which will provide at least 70% energy savings.
• A cardboard compactor has been installed to keep all cardboard from the landfill stream.
  Three 16-foot ceiling fans in the retail area will be used to circulate air allowing thermostat settings to be raised in the summer and lowered in the winter while maintaining a comfortable shopping environment for the customers.

Second Verona Job Fair Scheduled!

Thursday, June 26, 2008 9:05am
by Renee Tarnutzer

A second Job Fair will be held for area residents seeking employment at the Verona store scheduled to open in August. The Job Fair will be held at

Holiday Inn Express
515 W Verona Ave
Verona, WI

Hours:
Thursday, July 10 from 2:00pm - 8:00pm
Friday, July 11 from 8:00am - 4:00pm

Applications and interviews will be handled on site for all full (excluding management positions) and part time positions. Find out all that Blain's Farm & Fleet has to offer by visiting our career section.

Going Green

Wednesday, June 4, 2008 2:03pm
by Renee Tarnutzer

These are brand new images of the construction site in Verona. These Clerestory light wells are just part of Blain's Farm & Fleet's green initiative as we build the new store. These light wells are designed to harvest daylight and allow natural light into the building.

 

Don't miss the Verona Job Fair!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008 9:00am
by Renee Tarnutzer

We will host a Job Fair for area residents seeking employment at the Verona store scheduled to open in August. The Job Fair will be held at

Holiday Inn Express
515 W Verona Ave
Verona, WI

Hours:
Tuesday, June 10 from 10:00am - 5:00pm
Thursday, June 12 from 2:00pm - 8:00pm

Applications and interviews will be handled on site for all full (excluding management positions) and part time positions. Find out all that Blain's Farm & Fleet has to offer by visiting our career section.

Construction Updates

Monday, June 2, 2008 9:00am
by Renee Tarnutzer

Check out these latest images from our construction site in Verona!