Ben and Krista Zechar, who own PCRx911, says the closing of big box stores such as Best Buy – which closed 52 stores nationwide – will help small business.
“We realized the (Best Buy) Geek Squad would no longer be here (in Trotwood),” said Ben, who opened his Kettering store on Composite Drive in Nov., 2004. “I realized Office Depot sells computers, but we offer the ability to buy a custom computer, and when we fix a computer, we fix it here.
“You’re not packaging it up in a brown box and sending it to India.”
The Zechars initially had a business-to-business operation. Now, it’s getting into residential. They also sell an array of computers they custom design for the customer.
“We want to be like the old local pharmacy,” Ben said. “The pharmacist knows who you are. You can talk to a technician here.”
For a long time, Krista said, mom-and-pop stores dominated the business. Then came big box stores, and the internet.
Now, “the mom and pops are coming back,” Krista said.
That’s also the opinion of Daniel Hand, who founded the Association of Computer Repair Business Owners in 2009 and has more than 3,000 members.
Hand, who operates out of Virginia, said, “I do believe there is a resurgence and it has to do with Best Buy closing some locations along with most of the big box stores don’t do some repairs, like screen replacements.
“Most customers do not want to wait weeks for repairs while their devices are sent out somewhere so they would much rather deal with someone local that can resolve the same problem in a quarter of the time.
“These are mainly IT professionals that realize they can start their own business and provide a better service than the big box stores. I’ve always said nobody is going to work harder than one who owns their own business. To me that is very important in this industry to get established and create a rapport with customers and have continues customers for years to come.”
Computers will also be sold at PCRx911, which builds them to the specifications of the customer. Store hours are 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. on Sunday. The store telephone is 854-9911.
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