After nearly 30 years of dutiful serve to New York City’s Apple community, Manhattan-based retailer Tekserve will be closing its doors for the last time later this summer. It’s yet another sign of the times for a computer market that has shifted dramatically since Apple took computer selling into its own slick and well-lit hands back in 2001.
“This is a cultural shift,” company head Jerry Gepner told The New York Times this week in a story that broke the news. “It’s not a failure of the business. It’s like this giant wave finally crashed down upon us.”
The company started life as a repair shop on the same block in the Flatiron District where it’s continued to operate for 29 years, eventually occupying a 10,000-foot storefront and the title of the largest Apple Reseller as the computer company’s products once again returned to fashion.
The reseller had managed to hold on courtesy of a loyal customer base and a rental service, but between the six Apple stores currently open on the island and a big Best Buy setting up shop across the street, it ultimately couldn’t compete with the changing climate.
Tekserve broke the news to employees this week. It will continue to operate its service center through the end of July and will officially close the doors on its retail shop August 15th.