Searching for a hard-to-find battery or light bulb and disappointed with the selection in Turlock stores?

Help is around the corner, as a new Batteries + Bulbs store is set to open in Turlock's Monte Vista Crossings this January.

“We're excited about it,” said Batteries + Bulbs franchise owner Jerry Stokes.

The store will be located at 3204 W. Monte Vista Ave., next to the Verizon Wireless store.

Stokes said he was drawn to Turlock as the store is the right size and the city's demographics are a perfect fit for Batteries + Bulbs.

“Turlock has done a really good job with shopping centers and development there.” Stokes said “And my daughter goes to Stan State, so it'll be nice to be close to her.

Batteries + Bulbs offers more than 45,000 batteries and light bulbs, either in store or available for order. Products range from standard incandescent bulbs and AA batteries to high-tech LED bulbs and specialized cell phone batteries. Batteries + Bulbs specializes in hard-to-find replacement bulbs and batteries, including those for cars, watches, and hand-held drills.

The chain started in 1988 with a single outlet in Green Bay, Wisc. Franchising started in 1992, rapidly expanding the store to 570 outlets spread across the United States and Puerto Rico.

The chain's large size and tight focus on batteries and bulbs allows for low prices and big bulk discounts, Stokes said.

“When you have that many stores, you have a lot of buying power,” Stokes said.

The Turlock Batteries + Bulbs store will be Stokes' second location. He also operates a Batteries + Bulbs store in Modesto, located at 3000 McHenry Rd, which opened in November 2012.

Stokes expects to open his new Turlock location in late January. The store will employ four workers; Stokes plans to hire a few part-time employees in the beginning of January.

“I'm just looking forward to getting down there and getting started,” Stokes said.