Abbotsford Appliance displays new and improved store

By Neal Hogden

A family-owned business in Abbotsford is calling a new building home after a ribboncutting ceremony kicked off the store’s grand opening on October 26.

The store is located at 5 Opportunity Drive in Abbotsford and is part of the city’s TIF district.

The expansion allows the business to sell not only appliances such as stoves, washers, dryers, microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers and other appliances, but also gave the company the space to dip its toes into the furniture and electronics sectors. Abbotsford Appliance offers televisions, bed frames, mattresses, pillows, sectionals, couches, television stands, recliners and other furniture items.

The business was started in 1953 when Robert Mueller purchased the appliance business and bottle gas business from the Abbotsford Hardware Company. The appliance business began operating out of the old post office building and was shared with the Oehler Heating Company for several years.

The next iteration of the company was located in what is now Fat Boy’s Bar and Grill on North First Street in Abbotsford. In the late 1960s, the appliance center was in the building just to the north of the old armory before moving to the building at 200 North First Street in Abbotsford.

After Robert left the business, his son Jeff took over and sold and serviced appliances out of the Abbotsford store. Jeff had been working at the appliance store since he was 14. Both Jeff and his son Brandon attended tech school to learn the ins and outs of fixing appliances.

The new building located in the city’s TIF district, allowed the company to build without the up-front cost of paying for land to build on. Current owner Brandon Mueller said he was talking to now City Administrator Josh Soyk who pushed him to approach the city with a bid to buy land in the city’s TIF district.

“[Josh] knew I wanted to build eventually and he mentioned I should talk to somebody,” Mueller said. “I did and that got the ball rolling.”

The construction of building the new building wasn’t the easiest process as the

See ABBY APPLIANCE/ Page 2

READY FOR BUSINESS - The Mueller family cut the ribbon introducing the company’s new building to a crowd of about 50 community members on October 26.

STAFF PHOTO/NEAL HOGDEN Abby Appliance

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pandemic threw Mueller’s timeline off.

“I wanted to build two years prior but then COVID hit which set me back two years. I had to wait with materials going up. I pulled the trigger when I heard materials were going down and interest rates were about to go up,” Mueller said.

Once the project got the green light, Mueller said it was important to him to keep most of the construction work local. Mueller said local contractors such as R& R Flooring, Perrin’s Flooring Solutions, Popple River Buildings, Central Wisconsin Plumbing, Heating and Electrical, Stro’s Plumbing and Anderson Electric helped make the project possible.

Mueller said his acre and a half lot that Abbotsford Appliance sits on could potentially allow for expansion in the future but his attention was set on getting his new store and selection up and running first.

In his speech at the ribbon cutting portion of the event, Mueller thanked his dad, Jeff, his family, the city of Abbotsford and others who helped make the project a possibility.

On top of the furniture and appliance selection, Abbotsford Appliance offers repair and installation services to customers. Mueller said he has a wide selection of parts in his new warehouse section of the building so if a product that Abbotsford Appliance carries breaks, he’s positive they have the parts on hand to make a speedy repair. Abbotsford Appliance also offers financing and local delivery for customers.

The business is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Stop in and see Brandon or Vince or head to the company’s website at www.abbotsfordappliance.com to check out their selection.