Published: January 09, 2009 12:10 pm         

Business up at repair shops

Owners say more people are repairing old items instead of buying new

With the economy digging deeper into a recession, a lot of companies seem to be asking for a bailout.

Not all businesses are struggling, however. Some local businesses report more success during the tough economic times when others hurt.

Ginger Thomas, ABC Used Appliance and Furniture owner, said her store has noticed a significant increase in business during the past few months.

“A lot of people are not necessarily buying new items, so they are spending money to get them repaired,” she said.

While November and December tend to be busy already, she said, the increase in business was larger this year.

“I think we did more repair work this year than we do that time of year (usually),” she said.

ABC repairs all brands of appliances and sells used appliances also, she said.

Etta Connell, owner of B&E Leather in Yale, said she and her husband, Bill, have noticed an increase in people needing their shoes repaired.

“It seems like it. We’ve always had pretty good business here,” she said. “People want things fixed because they can’t afford to buy.”

Connell said cowboy boots are the things they repair most often.

Thomas said she’s noticed another change that might be linked to the economy.

“The one thing I have noticed (about) items being bought: More of them have been put on credit cards than you normally see,” she said.

More credit cards is something also more frequent nowadays at AB Computers, said owner Roger Smith.

In the past, he said, people often opted to buy a new computer part rather than spend the money to have it repaired, specifically when dealing with higher end repairs.

“Actually with the last month, I’ve really noticed a difference,” he said. “It’s not really an increase in business, but more people are willing to repair their systems.”

Some local repair stores, however, are not seeing this boost.

Joseph Paden, who owns Heartwood Furniture Repair, said he hasn’t seen an increase in business, but always has great business.

Air Tech General Manager Neil DeArmond said his business has declined, which may be attributed to the economy. Workers at Air Tech clean air ducts and also have carpet repair services, he said.

“It’s hard to say how our industry is going to handle it,” he said. “Right now, we’ve actually noticed a little drop in business.”

He said being a luxury service hurts the company in a poor economy, but business might be positively affected in the future.

“It may pick up a little bit because they’ll clean instead of (replace) their carpet,” he said.

He added that fewer people tend to get air ducts cleaned during the winter months, and business is highest during the spring.

“It’s kind of hard to tell if it’s the economy or just the time of year,” he said.

     

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