Quote :

"Your famous used HP laser printers."

I'll try to ALWAYS have laser printers in stock, both high and low end.

Quote :

"Oh a parrot would be awesome too. Like a store bird or something."

Its funny you should mention that, because we WILL have a store bird! My business partner breeds African Greys and will keep one at the store.

Quote :

"Electronic tools you can rent out, or at least use in the store. "

Gotta say no to this one, non-employees in the technician's work area is a big liability issue. Not only from a safety standpoint, but also customer machines will be back there and I have a responsibility to keep them secure and private. Plus I'd rather not have people messing with my test equipment, I have it configured the way I want and won't risk anything being damaged. That stuff isn't cheap!

If people want a space to work on their projects and access to tools and a community, I advise going by Splat Space in Durham. That's what they're there for!

7/7/2013 10:24:10 AM

You planning on doing console repairs? My kids Wii DVD drive died, but all the local stores that I looked at wanted to charge me more than a damn used Wii would cost by itself. I am fine spending like $50 to get it fixed, but places asking almost $100 can forget it.

7/7/2013 7:00:52 PM

^Totally, in fact I did that repair on my own Wii not long ago! I'd charge $50-60 depending on the model (some are harder to get a drive for), its a super fast job as long as you have the funky screwdriver needed and are willing to wait a couple days for the new part.

We'll also repair PS3s, 360's, etc. I'm investing in a professional level BGA reballing station, AKA I can fix problems the RIGHT way, PERMANENTLY . . . . with brand new, leaded solder balls under the chipsets. Repair prices will range from $75-100, and we'll also accept broken equipment for store credit if you'd rather buy something else than pay/wait for repair. These services might not be available immediately when we open though.

7/7/2013 10:51:57 PM

To all the Bawl's people: are they really that much better than other energy drinks that it's worth mentioning? I've never had one, so I don't understand why they're so magical.

7/7/2013 11:10:45 PM

What kind of electronics shop?

If it's just your run of the mill (not computer specific) then I'd suggest like every single cord I'd want. HDMI of all lengths, DVI, VGA, displayport, RCA, stereo, etc.

7/7/2013 11:54:57 PM

So... like a monoprice shop? Lol

7/8/2013 12:31:26 AM

Quote :

"My business partner breeds African Greys and will keep one at the store."

Teach the bird to say "RAM"...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO6XuVlcEO4
...but "cable" and "plug" will be harder

[Edited on July 8, 2013 at 1:07 AM. Reason : moar african greyz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNGalQfHCz4

7/8/2013 1:02:14 AM

I guess it all comes down to who is your target audience and whether your primary goal is to make money ASAP or to create a community. If the latter, you have to figure out who you are targeting. You can't be everything to everyone, especially with the limited amount of floor space that you have.

Either way please do stock some USB OTG cables.

And good luck!

7/8/2013 2:23:04 AM

Quote :

" To all the Bawl's people: are they really that much better than other energy drinks that it's worth mentioning? I've never had one, so I don't understand why they're so magical."

Theyre magical bc theyre such a pain in the ass to get. Theyre nostalgic, and they come in a really sweet bottle. They are from the beginnig mqn. Theyre the hipster energy drink. Bawls was around before it wqs cool

7/8/2013 6:14:04 AM

be a sparkfun distributor

7/8/2013 8:12:29 AM

Maybe some basic robotics/automation pieces? Servos, stepper motors/gears...

7/8/2013 10:49:15 AM

^ Wouldn't a typical hobby/RC shop carry those?

7/8/2013 7:06:51 PM

^Yeah, I wouldn't get into robotics stuff. Expensive, incredibly low margin, and to be useful to anyone you'd have to keep a shit ton of inventory on hand. Leave that to the r/c shops and mail order.

7/8/2013 9:12:23 PM

^Yeah, though I will carry some things I personally find interesting.

Quote :

"You can't be everything to everyone, especially with the limited amount of floor space that you have."

Very true, but I've still gotten some pretty good ideas. Call it market research. Obviously the idea of this venture is to make money, but I'd like to have fun doing it too!

God: Its not computer specific, and I'll try to stock a wide variety of cables. Not only do I think they will sell well, but I'll need them myself around the store!

7/8/2013 11:49:27 PM

Picked up my keys today! Now its time to start the fun process of building.

7/9/2013 6:07:37 PM

Maybe this isn't good for you, because it takes away from repair business.... But I'd like those weird ass screwdrivers some electronics use. I miss the days when torx was the crazy bit.

7/11/2013 11:13:17 PM

sears...

7/12/2013 1:34:29 AM

how about days were you hold classes to teach things? I'd come to a class about how to get started with arduino and would pay money for a kit.

7/12/2013 7:51:14 AM

I like the idea of having a small work area for rent. Something with Soldering/SMD rework, a scope/logic analyzer, and a laptop for using said scope as well as looking up datasheets and specs. Maybe $20 half day, $30 day pass or something like that? If there's any way that's possible, it would be a fantastic resource. Maybe require a deposit or training if you're worried about the gear.

PCB fab services would be awesome. This could probably even be done as a DIY or walk-in service using the laser. If you're good with EagleCAD or whatever, maybe $20-30 an hour for consultation that includes fabbing the board when the design session is done.

Also, I would use the hell out of a CNC laser and a 3D printer. I miss Tech Shop already.

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 8:25 AM. Reason : .]

7/12/2013 8:24:16 AM

^^^theyre even open?

7/12/2013 2:48:41 PM

^^ I was about to say... "Tech Shop answers your idea"... hehe
^ Ummm... Last time I checked. They always have every kind of weird tool you'd imagine you'd ever need for electronics stuff. If not, there's always newark.

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 3:13 PM. Reason : ]

7/12/2013 3:13:14 PM

oh shit an existing store already meets that need? guess fregac should just give up now and sell the building

7/12/2013 3:28:36 PM

Or online.

His store having them is immediate, and walking distance to campus, unlike sears

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 5:25 PM. Reason : .]

7/12/2013 5:24:09 PM

fregac has limited space... it would make more sense for him to allocate floor space to sell items that would actually generate income instead of "cool things" that most people aren't going to buy. Sears has tons of isles devoted to specialty tools so it would be hard to compete against someone like them, both on price and opportunity cost of the space.

^even with a convenience factor, specialty tools don't move quickly and aren't usually on the list of things people just buy for the hell of it. Specially considering less and less people now day's actually fix their own things. You have the maker and DIY people, but a likely chance are these technically proficient people are already going to have the specialty tools already or would be smart shoppers to find the tools online.

Just silly to have thousands of dollars of tools on a shelf that would take months to move for almost no profit in a small store. Its one of the reasons small hardware stores have declined in the past decade.

[Edited on July 12, 2013 at 5:33 PM. Reason : ]

7/12/2013 5:28:23 PM

^Yeah exactly. Specialty tools really doesn't make much sense, not with all the other local resources that sell them a LOT cheaper than I ever could! But who knows, maybe I'll carry a few odd and interesting bits and drivers.

7/14/2013 3:10:35 AM

Quote :

"Sears has tons of isles devoted to specialty tools"

Oh wow. It's been a while since I've been to Sears, but I'll have to check that out. Do you have to swim from isle to isle, or do they have ferries to take you between them? Maybe kayak rentals? How does that work?

[Edited on July 14, 2013 at 2:46 PM. Reason : The 6:25 to Hammer Island is leaving in 4 minutes, all aboard! ]

7/14/2013 2:44:53 PM

What about antique electronics? Giant brick cellphones and old school machines. Also vintage video games / systems or supplies could be money makers.

[Edited on July 14, 2013 at 7:13 PM. Reason : ]

7/14/2013 7:09:40 PM

Goto harbour freight. I got a mini bit set (torx, allen, phillips, etc) set that's great for working on things that are abnormally small (ie: hard drives, other electronics). It was $cheap but not exactly cheap quality. Glad I bought it!

7/14/2013 8:21:56 PM

Quote :

"What about antique electronics? Giant brick cellphones and old school machines. Also vintage video games / systems or supplies could be money makers."

Already on that. I'll have a selection of things I think are neat . . . . my personal favorites being some 50's Cold War era "Civil Defense" radiation detectors that I repaired. I also think it'd be kind of funny to take some old brick cellphones or rotaries and hack a cheapo Straightalk phone into the case so they actually work, heh.


Ran into Dakota_Man at Ruckus the other night and showed him the store in progress, he gave some strong arguments for offering toasted subs.

7/19/2013 4:51:58 AM

one thing I always wanted to set up in daniels/eb2 was a vending machine for common component parts

if you're not already, you might want to get apple repair certified. those are the people that'll be least likely to diagnose and repair their own stuff, and there's tons of them out there

[Edited on July 19, 2013 at 10:18 AM. Reason : moar]

7/19/2013 10:16:36 AM

You forget, he already fixes apple stuff, and apple already has brought down the private nazi thug hammer on teh Frega

7/19/2013 11:36:44 AM

PCB fab service would be pretty cool, but there are places online that are doing them pretty damn cheap with batch quantities as low as one.

My unreasonable request is that you sell analog synthesizer kits.

7/19/2013 2:29:22 PM

^^if he's certified to treat apple products under warranty though, he can probably get contracts with the companies on centennial. better than having to drive to the apple store at crabtree or whatever

[Edited on July 19, 2013 at 2:47 PM. Reason : he might want to do it under his business partner's name though ]

7/19/2013 2:46:57 PM

Yep I got a tour of the space, I think it'll be pretty awesome

7/20/2013 12:04:54 AM

Quote :

"he gave some strong arguments for offering toasted subs"

lolololol


although I can only advocate this if you can convince ruckus to start selling bikes

[Edited on July 20, 2013 at 10:04 AM. Reason : .]

7/20/2013 10:04:20 AM

I have absolutely no interest in being Apple Certified. With that comes certain obligations that prevent me from fixing things the way I think is best rather than how Apple says it should be done. For instance instead of replacing just an LCD panel you have to replace the entire display assembly. Also means you are REQUIRED to buy parts directly from Apple.


So we will not be able to honor Applecare or other warranty work. However when the Apple Store turns people away for liquid damage and such I can and will fix it!

7/23/2013 3:33:56 AM

I would like to see my DLP at your store

8/6/2013 3:19:54 PM

Haha, oh yeah. All my equipment is there now so just PM me and you can bring it by.

8/6/2013 6:06:43 PM

Just wondering how things are going and when you expect to open.

8/29/2013 9:28:09 AM

When do you open? I got a guy needing some soldering work .

9/5/2013 3:36:23 PM

Quote :

"I have absolutely no interest in being Apple Certified. With that comes certain obligations that prevent me from fixing things the way I think is best rather than how Apple says it should be done. For instance instead of replacing just an LCD panel you have to replace the entire display assembly. Also means you are REQUIRED to buy parts directly from Apple. So we will not be able to honor Applecare or other warranty work. However when the Apple Store turns people away for liquid damage and such I can and will fix it!"

I thought this was only true for warranty / warranty reinstatement work. For anything outside of warranty, you're free to do whatever you want. I say this because A) That's how it worked for a repair shop near me when I was growing up and B) I know for a fact that guys at Ten-Plus will do non-warranty and use non apple parts for apple unapproved work and they're an authorized repair center. Heck, when I worked at Apple, we used to recommend customers to Ten-Plus to do work that we weren't allowed to do (e.g. after market HDD upgrades)

9/5/2013 4:25:04 PM

He and apple don't have the best working relationship. Its no secret.

9/5/2013 6:09:44 PM

^Indeed.

We open the 15th. The place has come a LONG way, just a few last things to get finished!

9/6/2013 6:17:22 PM

didn't read the thread

but in the "services" dept, how about programming car keys and fobs? sounds like a pretty easy venture that wouldn't take up much space

9/6/2013 7:07:13 PM

Everything technical sounds "pretty easy" to most people

[Edited on September 6, 2013 at 7:58 PM. Reason : for real though that's a good idea]

9/6/2013 7:57:55 PM

Sounds expensive

9/6/2013 10:08:05 PM

^It IS expensive. You need special equipment, and its also just plain a pain in butt. However I will do things like help people with their car electronics and such (already a local mechanic's shop brings me instrument clusters to repair on a regular basis, usually bad soldering or popped capacitors).


Also, we officially open on the 16th. The 15th is a Sunday, heh. Be sure to come say hi if you're in the area. It'll be a "soft" opening, with me continuing to improve the place over the next few weeks. I'll do a big party and advertise/etc in October.


A few pictures from over the course of the buildout. Its come a LONG way!



My business partner working on framing in the divider wall. What he's using is possibly my new favorite tool . . . . I mean you load the thing with a nail, put a RIFLE CARTRIDGE IN THE BREECH, AND THEN HIT IT WITH A HAMMER. Cigar optional.



Wall up and drywalled/etc, door installed, outlets wired in, and display counters roughed out. This took a LOT of time.



Technician's work area. It already feels like home.



The floor ground down, acid etched, and clear coated. This took almost two weeks, and the neighbors were nearly gassed out of their stores by the fumes. However it looks pretty damned cool.



Close-up of the floor's color.



One of the counters stained and finished. I can't believe how pretty it turned out despite being cheapo plywood veneer on top of fiberboard. Durable as hell though.



Aaaaaand this takes us up to tonight. Both counters all but finished (for a total of 96sq ft of counter space on the two front ones alone). The corrugated metal on the front is FAR shinier in person, I'm seriously pleased with how good it looks. And I ought to be after 5 hours of grinding it down to the right size.

9/9/2013 3:35:59 AM

robo raptor spottings

9/9/2013 7:49:53 AM

Is there storage space under the counters/is it accessible?

9/9/2013 10:14:19 AM

^Yes, the panels are held with hooks on the top and magnets on the bottom. Very easy to pop out so I can use the inside for overstock/cords/etc.

9/9/2013 4:39:13 PM