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Welcome to Battery Warehouse!
About Us:
We carry every kind of battery imaginable for Automotive, Motorcycle, Heavy Equipment, Marine & RV's, Wheelchair, Golf Carts, Lawn & Garden, Gel Cells/AGM, Video/Digital Cam, Rechargeable, Computer, Cordless/Cellphones, Watch/Calculator, Disposable, Battery Tenders, Solar Panels and more!
Whatever kind of battery that you may ever need is here. How much more convenient can you get! Stop by just to be dazzled by the selection. It's worth the trip.
Some Battery Tips:
A once common misconception about batteries is that they cannot be placed on concrete. This is not true anymore, said Battery Warehouse owner Oleg Tatchin. Tacked to a wall in his shop is a "Tech Talk" Interstate Batteries article by Gale Kimbrough about this old adage that has gone by the wayside.
According to Kimbrough's article, batteries inside glass jars were once encased in wood. If the wooden case was placed on cold concrete, moisture from the floor could cause the wood to swell, possibly causing the glass jar to fracture and leak.
This would cause the battery to lose some power and discharge, Tatchin said.
Next, batteries were encased in rubber, but today's batteries are encased in plastics that do not conduct electricity. If anything, cold weather, not concrete, could affect a battery's charge, Tatchin said.
He said it is best to avoid storing batteries outside during cold weather seasons.
The old tale that battery life can be extended by placing them in a freezer is partially true. He said that only alkaline batteries can be kept fresher because it slows down the chemical reaction inside the battery. Lithium batteries work very well in all temperatures and their shelf life cannot be extended by storing them in a freezer.
Another battery misconception held by some customers is that rechargeable batteries must be refreshed daily, Tatchin said.
"Any type of rechargeable battery, it's always good to run them down. Some can last for days or weeks before they need to be recharged," Tatchin said. Recharging batteries before they cycle through can cause the battery to build up "memory," and eventually stop working, he said.
"It thinks it's fully discharged, but it's not. So, you lose the full charge of the battery," he said.
Battery Warehouse History:
Battery Warehouse Ownership Change Proves Seamless
Leesburg - When shopping in Battery Warehouse on South King Street, consumers may be overwhelmed with the choices, but owner Oleg Tatchin can probably pinpoint what's needed after a few questions.
Bill Eshbaugh had the idea for the specialty shop in 1992. The Brunswick, MD, resident said Leesburg's increasing population made it an ideal location because each household uses about 25 types of batteries in such items as cell phones, electric razors, camcorders, vehicles of all kinds, and oh yes, a lot of AA and AAA batteries for music devices and video games.
"There was a tremendous demand, not only to sell batteries and to service them, but also checking and installation," Eshbaugh said.
During his sales career, Eshbaugh built the store's customer base through word of mouth and referrals. When he decided to retire, he used the same method to sell his store. One customer told his brother-in-law about the sale and soon Eshbaugh found his buyer: 29-year-old Oleg Tatchin, a Leesburg resident.
"I interviewed Oleg and found him to be a man with a great work ethic and interest in making something out of himself. His morals and ethics were in line with what mine were," Eshbaugh said.
The Ukrainian born Tatchin moved to Leesburg from Philadelphia in 1999, in part because his sister had married and moved here four years earlier. Tatchin, who has an electrical engineering background, was working in payroll accounting for Southland Concrete when he heard about the business up for grabs on the market. After working for someone else for four years, Tatchin said he was ready for a change.
"I wanted to be my own boss and was always interested in owning a business," he said.
After four months of negotiating, and after Tatchin turned in his two-weeks notice, Eshbaugh signed the store over on Jan. 1, 2004. During January, Eshbaugh trained Tatchin in battery identification, battery testing, service, installation and bookkeeping. Though heavily involved with volunteer work, Eshbaugh sometimes steps in for Tatchin when he needs to go out of town. Otherwise, Battery Warehouse is a one-man operation.
"There was a lot to know and learn. It was very rewarding in the end. It is a dream come true for me," Tatchin said.
Now when certain vehicles, such as Ford and Chevy trucks, pull into the parking lot at 224 S. King Street, Tatchin immediately knows what type of battery they use. His battery knowledge comes from on-site experience. He spends 70 hours on the sales floor Monday through Saturday, and spends another 10 hours doing paperwork.
The first-time business owner said his biggest fear is that his stock will inadvertently run low. Tatchin said he also learned to never procrastinate.
"Never put things on hold," Tatchin said. "Be on time with everything. It's hard to catch up because new orders arrive daily."
Tatchin said his best sellers are vehicle batteries. The store's selection includes everything from watch batteries to specialty batteries for fox hunting radios and heavy-duty marine batteries used in boats and trailers.
"Most of the fire engines in Leesburg and Hamilton run on our batteries," Tatchin said, a claim confirmed by Leesburg Volunteer Fire Company Lieutenant, Micah Kiger.
The store's client base extends beyond Leesburg. Customers come from Reston and Alexandria. Brad Isham, owner of Aurora Services Inc., said even though he moved 50 miles away from Leesburg to Amissville, he still shops at Battery Warehouse once every couple of months.
"We build automatic gate systems, so we have a specialty battery. They always have everything we need," Isham said.
Because of the store's wide variety, even competitors recommend Battery Warehouse to their customers. When the Leesburg Radio Shack does not have a battery in stock and someone cannot wait for an order to arrive, senior store manager Dan Schultz said he gladly sends his customer to the Battery Warehouse.
"We help each other out," Schultz said. "It's a very good business relationship. He recommends customers [to us]. It helps both of us [because] we're helping the customer find the product whether it's my business or his business. It builds customer relations. Sometimes you don't have the product. This way you find a solution for them. He does the same for me. It works both ways."
And when a battery cannot be found in the store's shelves or stockroom - for example, when a customer requests a battery used only by one product that is sold exclusively by the brand online - Tatchin can usually custom build a battery for less.
"Certain batteries - for example, sealed lead acid - come in different voltages," Tatchin said. "Two. Four. Six. If you put them together, you add voltage. We solder them together with positives and negatives to get a bigger battery."
Another Battery Warehouse staple is heard on the store's answering machine message. "Thanks for calling Battery Warehouse. Yes, you can drop off your batteries here for recycling..." The store has two to three recyclable pick-ups a week that include lead acid batteries and rechargeable batteries. Standard single-use batteries cannot be recycled, Tatchin said.
Private companies and Loudoun County government are the store's biggest customers. Small businesses make up the majority of the store's client base. Warren Robst, owner and president of Locust Landscaping Company Inc. and a Battery Warehouse customer for nearly eight years, said he has not noticed a change in service with the new owner.
"I went in there a couple of times after the complete changeover," Robst said. "I felt like I was dealing with the same owner. He took care of us exactly the same as Bill had, [instant] credit and so forth, as if the place had never changed hands."
The consistency in customer service is important to Robst, who, like Tatchin, is also a small business owner.
"I don't shop elsewhere for batteries because of the service. I like to do business with folks who do good service, just like my clients do business with me because of the service. Dollar value is important, but to me, service is important."
While customers say they have not noticed a difference in customer service since the business changed hands, Tatchin did make a few changes, including using a computer to help with inventory, bookkeeping and other needs. He also uses a high-speed DSL Internet connection to look up part numbers and to process credit card purchases, which he said is faster than the dial-up system the original owner used.
Content written by yellowbook.com