This spring, it was announced that an appliance store located just down the road from ours would be closing its doors. Appliances Unlimited had been a source for appliances and service for nearly two decades in the Kewanee area. We are excited to announce that we have welcomed the owner, Amanda Forrest, to our own team here at Village Home Stores. Amanda owned Appliances Unlimited & America’s Mattress Gallery in Kewanee for over 19 years, and she will join our sales team part-time in Geneseo beginning August 1st.
Welcome to Village Home Stores, Amanda
After news of the store closing, a member of our staff at Village reached out to Amanda to see if she would be interested in joining our team, as we had a sales staff vacancy when Tammy retired from our store after 14 years with us. There is a well-known phrase that states, “When one door closes, another opens,” and who knew this next opportunity for Amanda would be just a few miles away, and in the same industry she already knows. After meeting with our co-owner, Rob Ries, it was agreed that our store would be a great fit for Amanda and her established customer base in Kewanee.
Meet the Appliance Team at Village Home Stores
Amanda will join Rachele (above on the left), who has sold appliances for us for over 16 years. Our Appliance Customer Service Manager Monica (third from the left) and Rachele have also been working with our Appliance Service Administrator Abby (on the right) to train her to help support the sales team when needed. Abby was able to join Amanda this July for some immersive product training at the World of Whirlpool facility in Chicago, Illinois.
Amanda and Abby completed an in-depth 3-day product training course at the Whirlpool training facility, and Amanda had a chance to dive right into learning about the brands that have been our American-made pillars since we began. They watched chefs work with products and even had a chance to cook some meals as a group using new features.
"I am so excited to be back in the appliance game! As many of you know, my store never carried Whirlpool and its family of brands: Maytag, Amana, and KitchenAid. I should have! After dealing with all other major brands, Whirlpool Corp. just stole my heart! The selection, pricing, and innovation is top-notch! There is something for every budget, style, size, and desire! I invite everyone to come check out Village Home Stores in Geneseo! I promise you the short drive over is worth it!"
From One Small Town to Another, Welcome!
We are honored to extend a warm welcome to any Kewanee area customers who haven’t shopped with us before. Our small business has been serving the region for over 40 years. What began in 1984 as a small Cambridge, Illinois hardware store has moved and grown to become a second-generation owned small business now based in Geneseo. We are just 26 miles down the road from Kewanee and located in downtown Geneseo, Illinois. We are a one-stop shop that offers cabinetry, countertops, appliances, appliance service, flooring, wall surfaces, lighting, and custom window coverings. We own and operate our own warehouse facilities (also located in Geneseo) and have our own staff delivery and installation crews to support the sales team.
As a small business located in a nearby small town, we understand that part of the lifestyle of living in a great town like Kewanee is that you may have to drive just a bit to get what you need. We hope that when you choose to shop with us in person, you plan on staying in town to grab a bite to eat or shop at our local businesses. For those who may be familiar with Geneseo, our showroom is located at 105 S State in the historic downtown district. We are right across State Street from the Geneseo Brewing Company and share the same side of the street as The Cellar Steakhouse.
Your Local Appliance Experts
The good news is that if you need us to come to you, we are already in town every week! Our award-winning appliance technicians already handle home appliance calls in town up to 3 days a week (in fact, one of them lives in your area). If you need a service call in the Kewanee, Galva, Neponset, Sheffield, Mineral, Annawan, or Cambridge region, we are your source for new appliances, appliance repair, and more.
We’re Not Just Appliances
Just in case you aren’t familiar with our store yet, we are not just an appliance showroom. We offer a wide variety of home products and services to both cash and carry customers and those wanting the complete project handled by our team. From one new light fixture to an entire kitchen or bath remodel and every sized project in between. Have a remodel or new build home you are considering? Our team would love to walk you through our process and see how our products and competitive pricing can be of help. If you are building a new home, we even offer a bundle program that allows you to save in each department you purchase from, plus build up a total that can earn you thousands of dollars in free lighting for your home.
See Our Work Online
Want to see some examples of our products and projects? Follow us online via Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and more. You can also see featured projects here on our blog and view our full portfolio of work here on Houzz.com. If you enjoy watching home improvement shows, then be sure to check out the Village Home Show, our weekly TV show that features actual Village Home Stores projects every Sunday morning at 10:30 am on WQAD News Ch 8 ABC. You can stream over 40 episodes of our TV show from our YouTube channel here. The show is available anytime via the YouTube app on your smart TV or mobile device.
Your Local Low Price Guaranteed
Village Home Stores believes you deserve a fair price AND an excellent customer experience before and after the sale. We are a member of a buying group named BrandSource, made up of other independent dealers like us. The combined buying power of a $19B buy group allows us to directly partner with our brands and offer our customers competitive prices with the box stores. Village Home Stores has your local low price guaranteed on kitchen and laundry appliances. Plus, we often even get added rebate opportunities from our brands because they prefer you to have a great buying experience from an independent dealer like Village Home Stores.
Shop Our Appliances in Store or Online
Our team can help customers shop in our award-winning showroom where we have large areas dedicated to appliance displays as well as more than a dozen kitchen vignettes installed with current appliance products. If you prefer to shop online, you can shop our wide selection of kitchen and laundry appliances anytime right here from our website. The web chat feature on our site connects you with a real member of our team (not a chatbot) and you are able to fully check out online if needed. We receive shipments of products at least once a week and even keep a large inventory of appliances in stock, which can be seen here online. You can also schedule an appliance service call via chat/message or using this quick online form. If you would like to schedule a service call over the phone, you can reach our dispatch office Monday-Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to noon. You can read more about Amanda and this staff update news here in an article published by the Kewanee Voice.