Blain's Farm & Fleet holds grand opening at Romeoville store

ROMEOVILLE – Bill Williams navigated his way Thursday through the new, jam-packed Blain’s Farm & Fleet in Romeoville, looking for a few random items.

Aisles were so congested with shoppers pushing carts and getting familiar with the store that they could’ve used turn signals to get around more easily.

“See what happens when they have chocolate-covered raisins on sale?” Williams said.

He was alluding to the abundance of deals the big-box retailer touted as part of its three-day grand opening. The store officially opened Oct. 13, but the grand opening extravaganza began Thursday and runs through Saturday.

The store’s entry doors opened so frequently as customers came and went that the aroma of a Weber grill demonstration outside could be detected throughout the building.

Shoppers could be seen filling out sweepstakes forms in most sections of the store. Blain’s was giving away $150 in gift cards every hour and a grand prize $10,000 shopping spree.

Checkout lines extended Thursday as far as 50 feet from the registers. Shoppers were directed by staff to open registers, similar to a baggage check-in at an airport. Shopping carts were filled with anything from children’s toys to power tools.

Williams found a large “Frozen” coloring book for his 2-year-old granddaughter. He said he wanted to save it for her Christmas gift, but he knew her face would light up as soon as she saw it later Thursday.

After that find, Williams found a decent deal on ammunition. He said ammunition prices have gone up in recent years. He was disappointed there weren’t any firearms on sale.

“I’m from Minnesota, and the Blain’s stores in Minnesota and Wisconsin do have a great firearm selection,” Williams said.

But Williams, a Romeoville resident, did enjoy the store and its vast array of products. He said that a few days ago, he found a muscle gel used for horses that gave him some pain relief. He joked that he may start neighing and galloping.

He also noted the brand-new layout, different from the other Blain’s stores he’s visited.

The 120,690-square-foot building is Blain’s new prototype store. The exterior has modern barn features, while the interior is better designed for customer flow. There’s also a drive-thru outside for customer pickup, which is a feature new to Blain’s.

“We pride ourselves on being a ‘modern general store,’ and with the new layout and adjacencies, we feel the customer shopping experience will be even more fun and enjoyable,” Kristin Mickelson, PR and events manager for Blain’s Farm & Fleet, stated in a news release about the opening.

Companies such as Carhartt, Charbroil, Irwin, Milwaukee, DeWalt, Craftsman, Hobart, Weston and Pirelli had demonstration tents outside Thursday.

Parking was difficult to find, and it has been that way since Oct. 13, according to Romeoville Mayor John Noak. The village believes that Blain’s will bring many people from throughout the south suburbs, and perhaps farther, to Romeoville.

Romeoville also believes Blain’s will enhance the Weber Road corridor and boost traffic for all businesses in the area. Noak said Starbucks and other businesses prepped staff on the potential increase in customers. He said seven outlots owned by Blain’s are available for retail space.

Noak said that, so far, he hasn’t heard anything negative about the store. He continues to hear compliments about the friendliness of Blain’s staff, which he attributes to its ownership group.

“[Blain’s CEO and President] Jane Blain Gilbertson and her family are incredibly down-to-earth people, and easy to deal with,” Noak said.