F&F Tire & Service opens two new stores
JANESVILLE — Tough economic times are keeping a company that got its start in Janesville more than 35 years ago motoring along.
F&F Tire & Service, which since 1973 has been based in Janesville, has opened new stores in the Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield and Delavan.
"With the economy the way it is, people need to keep their cars longer and keep them running," said Jeff DeVries, who owns the Janesville F&F and eight others. His uncle owns six others in Illinois.
DeVries said the new 7,000-square-foot store in Delavan is a natural because the community didn't have a full-service tire store.
F&F also specializes in brakes, exhausts, chassis and front-end repair, heating and air conditioning, engine diagnostics, maintenance and oil changes.
"Basically everything except body work," DeVries said. "We try to be a one-stop shop."
In Delavan, DeVries built the new F&F at the burgeoning intersection of Interstate 43 and Highway 50. The store, which includes a car wash and detailing area, also will become F&F's main office.
"I live in Elkhorn, so it's nice to have something closer," said DeVries, a second-generation owner in the family business. "It's also a midway point between all the stores."
Devries also plans to build a 4,000-square-foot strip mall adjacent to the store.
"This piece of property was so expensive that we need the strip mall to subsidize our operation somewhat," he said.
In addition to Janesville and the new stores in Delavan and Greenfield, DeVries has stores in Beloit, West Allis, Milwaukee, two in Brookfield and one in Chicago. The company employs about 60 people.
"Milwaukee is very competitive, one of the toughest markets in the country," Devries said. "There are a lot of coupon-cutters there; they're very cost conscious."
DeVries said F&F is in a growth pattern that he hopes will continue. He'd eventually like to buy his uncle's stores and add a few more in markets that are underserved.
Jan 9, 2009 at 4:04 p.m.
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To comply with Gazette defamation policy and concerns, I will simply state that the establishment in this article is not one I will patronize.
Jan 9, 2009 at 3:58 p.m.
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Used parts is correct, but most often they are "reconditioned" which means just as good as new, and they were able to recycle the part. This is common in some components.
Jan 8, 2009 at 4:47 p.m.
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janesvillean: I agree the Gazette is well within its rights. However, I don't believe people posting opinions, especially those based on personal experience, will ever result in a winning lawsuit. That holds true with products also. I can review or post opinion about a product or service without worrying about legal recourse. The key is to avoid generalizations or completely false comments like "Every F&F tire sucks," or "I heard F&F puts used parts in cars." I think it's far more likely that the Gazette is trying to avoid the squeakiest wheels getting all the oil or in this case press. People who are unhappy are more likely to post complaints. On the other hand, thousands of people have probably used F&F tire with complete satisfaction and may never say a word. They've been in business long enough that they have done something right and are likely to have a small handful of those who weren't happy. If the opinion gets too unfairly lopsided, I'm guessing it's time to start over.
Jan 8, 2009 at 4:14 p.m.
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getabike, posters of defamatory material can be sued. The Gazette is well within its rights not to permit such material.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-101334...
Jan 8, 2009 at 11:45 a.m.
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wow - I can't believe that the gazette removed the previous comments. So much for being a great community resource. 1foryou, from what I gather from other comments that were deleted, your happiness is in the minority.
Jan 7, 2009 at 5:43 p.m.
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I have used F and F Tire for several years. I wont go anywhere else anymore. They have been courteous and I also get free rotations, tire repairs because of their warranty. I think bad experiences are usually conflicts between indivduals.
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