Over ninety years ago, in 1927, Leo and Kathryn Theisen opened our first store in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. This small, family-owned business sold two items that are still essential today: batteries and tires. From humble beginnings in a two-story brick building, their initial enterprise has developed into a retail chain with 24 stores in Iowa and Wisconsin and an expansive online store. The company remains family-owned with four generations of Theisens having contributed to its success. While we still sell batteries and tires, we also offer a wide variety of products for your home, farm
In 1956, after completing his service in the United States Army, Jim Theisen, Leo and Kathryn’s son, joined the company. Jim would eventually serve as company president for many years before becoming Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors in 2016. He adopted the philosophy that “people buy from people, not from companies.” This core belief has become the foundation of our strong customer and community relationships. While we have overcome many economic ups and downs, through all of these challenges our customers have proven loyal. In turn, we have always done our best to provide them with great service, products
In fact, this belief allowed us to expand so that by the time Jim’s sons, Chris
We recognize that without customers and communities, our longevity would not be possible. For this reason, we regularly give to organizations that contribute to your well-being. These include 4-H, County Fairs, Future Farmers of American (FFA), educational programs, local churches, Toys for Tots, The Boys and Girls Club and countless others. Additionally, every year our Theisen’s More For Your Community grant program distributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the people and communities around us. As we grow, we want you to grow too!
Another core belief of Theisen’s is that “it is not what we have done, it is what our people have done.” These people, of course, are our dedicated associates. We recognize the hard work and true commitment of our 1,135 employees is a vital part of our success. Theisen’s associates strive to provide exceptional customer service every day with every interaction. When we miss that mark, we want to know about it and we do our utmost to correct it.
As Theisen’s entered the twenty-first century, we saw a number of opportunities, which we embraced as a company, including the launching of our online store and an expanded reach with three new stores in Wisconsin. Our corporate headquarters is now located in a 70,000 square foot facility. In 2016, we recognized we were at the dawn of a new era and hired the company’s first president from outside the Theisen’s family. A board of directors was also formed. Additionally,
As we approach nearly 100 years in business, not only do we still have batteries and tires at Theisen’s, but we have so much more! Our More For You tagline could not ring truer. Today, our associates receive extensive training about our products and services to help you make the right purchases. We offer many free seminars to help you learn important skills, such as raising poultry and canning vegetables. We still offer our legendary free popcorn while you shop. You can also shop any time of day for many of the same great products from the comfort of your own homes and have it conveniently delivered right to your doorstep by using our online theisens.com store!
If you are a long-time Theisen’s customer, thank you. If you are new to Theisen’s, welcome! We want to be your shopping choice, and to earn that privilege we promise to offer you outstanding customer service, competitive pricing and a broad selection of familiar, trusted brands of merchandise! We hope to see you in the stores or online soon! Thank You!