The storefront at 2863 24th St. near Bryant Street that will house Compupod is still under construction, but inside, owner Hugo Gonzalez is placing the finishing touches. Gonzalez says the electronics repair shop will be opening by Friday.
At about 1,200 square-feet, the 24th Street location is notably smaller than Compupod’s flagship store at 2433 Mission St., but will feature the same services, including a phone and electronics repair workshop – with employees who speak both Spanish and English. Customers will also be able to purchase new phones, contracts, and accessories, and will have the option to sell back their old phones.
“There are a lot of people who want to sell their phones to upgrade to a new one, so I’m getting into buying electronics and reselling second hand,” he said.
With a five-year lease, Gonzalez hired four new employees to spread between both stores, and hopes that his second business will do as well as his first.
“There is a lot of foot traffic on 24th Street, and I haven’t seen a similar repair shop within a few blocks,” said Gonzalez. He added that Compupod’s second location will also specialize in carrying “nice accessories,” such as headphones and even a few hoverboards.
“We are going to bring some in and test how well they sell,” he said.
Unlike Compupod’s Mission Street location, where electronics repair technicians can be seen working in the center of the store, Gonzalez said that the workshop area at the 24th Street store will be in a separate back room, to give his new store a more “clean and organized” feel.
“I’m trying to make it look more welcoming, so that customers feel more comfortable with bringing in their repairs,” he said. “But I want to keep it accessible, and the prices will stay the same.”
Gonzalez started his phone repair business in 2008 — back then, it was just him operating out of a small office space that he shared with a computer technician.
“I’ve always like electronics, I’m a ‘techie’ at heart,” he said.
Hugo is great, as is Christian and the rest of his staff. Great spot to find low cost electronics, or sell yours to upgrade.
Really good people! I’m very happy to see his business is expanding in our neighborhood. The Mission is HOME, thanks for not going anywhere! 🙂
They were great. fixed my iphone in an hour for half the price.
The next time I need repair of any electronic device of mine or my hubby’s, we’re contacting Gonzalez.
Love seeing an alternative to the mobile phone chainstores.