Tekserve

Tekserve
Private
Industry Retail
Consulting
Predecessor Current Designs
Founded New York City, New York, U.S., 1987 (1987)
Founder Richard Demenus
David Lerner
Headquarters 40°44′36″N 73°59′36″W / 40.74333°N 73.99333°W / 40.74333; -73.99333Coordinates: 40°44′36″N 73°59′36″W / 40.74333°N 73.99333°W / 40.74333; -73.99333
New York City, United States
Area served
 New York metropolitan area
Services Apple sales and service
Number of employees
 200 (2014)
Website Official website

Tekserve was an American consumer electronics and information technology consulting business based in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1987 as a side business by Macintosh-using engineers designing computer-controlled institutional electronics, Tekserve has grown from a small back-office Macintosh repair shop[1] to become the largest single-location Apple Specialist and Premium Service Provider in the United States.[2]

The store announced it would be closing on August 15, 2016.[3]

History

View of the front of Tekserve's store

Tekserve founders David Lerner and Dick Demenus met at the New York City public FM radio station WBAI in 1970, and with engineer Mike Edl set up shop together late in the decade under the name Current Designs Corporation.[1] Their business was electronic engineering and industrial design. They manufactured the indestructible music listening stations to be found at the Lincoln Center branch of the New York Public Library,[4] and early models of the audio listening tours now found in many art museums. "We bought the very first Mac that came out in 1984 for $3,000, and we fell in love with it." Demenus says, "We’ve been loyal ever since."[5] As Macintosh users and electrical engineers, the Current Designs partners found themselves uniquely qualified to fix their own Macs when they started to malfunction. Tekserve was formed as a "sister company under the same roof"[6] dedicated to servicing Macintosh computers and became Apple-authorized for repair in 1993.[7]

Tekserve has occupied four locations on the same side of the same block in Chelsea: a 3,000-foot (910 m) loft at 115 West 23rd Street;[1] another loft at 163 West 23rd Street (the "Traffic Building"); a larger space on the fourth floor of 155 West 23rd Street, and later expansions to the third floor. In June 2002, the company moved to its present 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m2) storefront location at 119 West 23rd Street, occupying the entire first floor of the Printing Arts Building (which extends through to 24th street).[8][9] The first three locations were notable for their eccentric decor, including an antique five-cent Coke machine, and a porch swing. The Coke machine remains at the 119 West 23rd Street location, but the porch swing was retired due to the newest space's substantially higher ceilings.

On Wednesday, June 29th, 2016, The NY Times reported the retail store and service center will close after 29 years of business, while the "corporate sales and professional services, as well as...an operation focused on small- and medium-size businesses" will continue to operate.[3] Tekserve management cited Apple's continued market success together with the consequent seeming ubiquity of retail outlets to support its products as reasons for the decision to close the store and its repair service.

Retail store

Tekserve’s flagship store on 23rd Street stocks a wide variety of Mac configurations, hardware, and accessories. They also offer rentals, workshops, and service support. As New York City’s only Apple Premium Service Provider, Tekserve repairs and upgrades over 30,000 Apple products per year. In addition, Tekserve offers an extensive data recovery service for Mac, Windows, and Linux users.

Several television series, including Law & Order[10] and Sex and the City, have utilized Tekserve's facilities as a shooting location. In Sex and the City episode 408, My Motherboard. Myself, Aasif Mandvi was featured as a Tekserve employee attempting to recover data from Carrie Bradshaw's portable computer at the smaller 155 West 23rd Street location.[11][12]

American Pickers visited the store shortly before closing and purchased some items from the owner's personal collection. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kadetsky, Elizabeth (September 1992). "Low-tech computer lab - Current Designs and Tekserve in New York City". Home Office Computing. FindArticles.com. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Computers and Electronics". Mayor's Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting. City of New York. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Rojas, Rick (June 29, 2016). “Tekserve, Precursor to the Apple Store, to Close After 29 Years” “The New York Times” (The New York Times Company). N.Y. / Region. Retrieved June 29, 2016
  4. ↑ Nelson, Nancy Melin (September 1, 1989). "Current Designs: Macintosh-controlled audio stations". Computers in Libraries. High Beam Research. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  5. ↑ Richard Demenus, quoted in Mantilla, Olga (September 7, 2005). "Tekserve are the Mac daddies for all things Apple". The Villager. New York City: Community Media LLC. 75 (16). Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  6. ↑ Contrucci, Lance (November 18, 1991). "Comfy Computers". New York Magazine. New York City: New York Media LLC. 24 (45): 30. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  7. ↑ Dana, Rebecca (March 13, 2005). "Revenge of the Apple Nerds". The New York Observer. The New York Observer LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  8. ↑ Cohen, Peter (June 3, 2002). "Tekserve moves to new NYC location tomorrow". Macworld.com. Mac Publishing. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
  9. ↑ Bernstein, Fred (June 20, 2002). "A Shop Where Fun Meets Function". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. pp. G6. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  10. ↑ "$50,000 worth of Apple iPods topple like dominoes in Tekserve ad". MacDailyNews. MacDailyNews.com. April 26, 2006. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  11. ↑ Scheier, Rachel (June 18, 2001). "Repair shop is place to be for ailing PCs". New York Daily News. New York City: NewYorkDailyNews.com. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Sex and the City, My Motherboard, Myself (2001)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
  13. ↑ Kalish, Jon (August 31, 2016). "Saying Farewell to Tekserve and Paying Big Bucks for Tech History". PC Mag. Retrieved June 11, 2017.

Further reading

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