U.S. Cellular opens at new location in Waukon under new ownership


First Dollar Visit for U.S. Cellular at new location and under new ownership ... U.S. Cellular, now under new ownership and at a new location in Waukon, recently received a First Dollar Visit from the Waukon Chamber of Commerce. Pictured above, left to right, at that First Dollar presentation are Conrad Schmitt, Brooke Pritchard and Amber Kane of U.S. Cellular, Waukon Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Laurie Adrian, and Amber Love, Moriah Downing and Ellisha Seibert of U.S. Cellular. Photo courtesy of the Waukon Chamber of Commerce.

As of early July of this year, U.S. Cellular can now be found at a new location in Waukon and under new ownership. Just one block west and a half block north from its previous location, the new store can be found at 108 2nd Street NW in Waukon and is now under the ownership of Gary Fox, marking the tenth northeast/north central Iowa community where his third-generation family-owned business, Appliance Plus of Oelwein, Inc., now owns and operates a U.S. Cellular location.

“We’re happy for the opportunity with U.S. Cellular to be able to be in the Waukon community,” Fox said. “Being a local company in northeast Iowa, the opportunity to expand into the Waukon area is something we couldn’t say no to.”

The first generation of what has evolved into Appliance Plus of Oelwein, Inc. was started when Harold Fox, Gary’s grandfather, opened an electrical business in 1946. A few years later, he added plumbing and heating along with General Electric® appliances. Gary’s dad, Duane Fox, worked with his father and, in 1965, he and his wife, Faith, purchased the business after Harold passed away. In 1977, a new shop was built in Stanley to accommodate the growing business.

Duane and Faith Fox purchased the old Hardee’s building on South Frederick Avenue in Oelwein and started Appliance Plus in 1996, where they sold U.S. Cellular phones and appliances. Their son, Gary, and his wife, Brenda, took over as owners in January 2003 after Gary had worked with his father for over 25 years.

Since taking over ownership, Gary Fox has added nine more northeast/north central Iowa locations to the business where U.S. Cellular phones and accessories are sold. A location in Independence was opened in 2005 to sell both cell phones and appliances, with U.S. Cellular locations being added in West Union and New Hampton in 2013 and 2016, respectively.

Both Charles City and Webster City were added as combined cell phone/appliance locations in 2019, as was Osage in 2021, with Forest City also being added in 2021 as a U.S. Cellular location. Dyersville and now Waukon have both been added this year to that growing list of U.S. Cellular locations.

Gary, himself, graduated from Oelwein High School in 1978 and attended Appliance Repair School to achieve his Certification in repairing appliances before more formally joining the family business. He has also served as a city council member for the City of Stanley, as a volunteer firefighter and as a board member on the East Buchanan Telephone Cooperative.

He and his wife, Brenda, raised three children of their own, two of which represent the fourth generation of the family-owned business, and they have also fostered two other children. Gary and Brenda look forward to soon welcoming their fifth grandchild, and Gary is a self-proclaimed dog lover, proven by the fact that Dobie, his Doberman Pinscher, spends a lot of time with him at the Appliance Plus corporate office in Oelwein.

In addition to his own family, Gary says he is proud of the business family he has created within his ownership network as well. He sees that as one of the greatest rewards of owning his own business.

“I’m proud of the team we’ve built, and proud to have mentored, fostered and grown so many individuals,” he said. “I strive to improve members of my team for life. Regardless of how long or short their journey is with us, I want to make a large impact in their lives.”

As most would likely agree, Gary says the COVID-19 pandemic has provided the greatest challenge to business ownership. “With COVID and expanding during COVID, there’s everyday struggles we did not have before,” he noted. “It obviously won’t happen overnight, it all takes time.”

Riding all the waves of reward and challenge, Gary notes that the experience of his staff and the service they offer are what has allowed his business to continue to grow, something he intends to keep doing right along with the Waukon community. “We’re recognized as elite performers with U.S. Cellular,” he explained. “We bring 20-plus years of experience and service.”

The new U.S. Cellular location in Waukon is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays from 12-5 p.m. The business can be reached at 563-276-0004.