Mills Fleet Farm Offers Merchandise in All Categories

Need to cut an arrow, buy bolts by the pound or purchase nuts for homemade candy?

Any day now Ankeny area residents will be able to walk into Mills Fleet Farm and do all that. Shoppers will find merchandise in about any category imaginable.

Officials with Mills Fleet Farm plan a soft opening in which the store will open without a big hurrah. A grand opening event may come later. Brad Couillard, Mills Fleet Farm director of merchandising, and Hugh Leasum, senior director of operations, wouldn't say when they will open because they want to allow employees to acclimate themselves to the store before facing an onslaught of customers.

But the store should be open any day now.

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Mills Fleet Farm, not to be confused with Blain's Farm & Fleet another unrelated but similar farm store, started in 1955 in Wisconsin by the Mills family. Over the last 58 years, the company has grown to 34 stores in four states. The Ankeny store is Mills' farthest south location.

Mason City is the only other Mills Fleet Farm location in Iowa. Couillard said Mills hopes to draw customers in from Ames and the Des Moines and surrounding areas.

During the planning stages, Mills Fleet Farm officials met with area farmers to focus on products they would need most, which is why one will find a number of sprayers on store shelves, Leasum said.

Historically the stores' consumables and pet departments are among the most popular. The hunting and fishing area should be too. When the Ankeny Mills Fleet Farm opens they will have the largest supply of ammunition, of all 34 stores.

Other store departments include: consumables, sporting goods, apparel, footwear, electronics, furniture, home improvements, seasonal, pet and farm supplies, housewares, automotive and auto service.

And shoppers will find some unique services such as arrow cutting, water testing and more.

The store has a number of private label products in addition to competitively priced name brands.

“Our hope is to be the lowest (price) at all times,” Leasum said.

See photos from the tour: Mills Fleet Farm Photos