Smartphone repair shops: Fix a phone without signing a contract

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GRANDVILLE — Garry VonMyhr rarely stops thinking about his new business, Genius Phone Repair, at 4693 Wilson Ave. SW.

“I dream about it a lot. I guess I said ‘We don’t have HTC Incredible digitizers in stock’ during my sleep a week ago,” said VonMyhr, 23, who opened the business with his partners, Jordan Notenbaum, 23, and Steve Barnes, 22, earlier this month.

The owners hope Genius Phone Repair becomes the go-to place for locals who crack an iPhone screen, are having a touch-screen malfunction, or simply can’t get their phone to turn on.

Notenbaum and VonMyhr graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2010 and Barnes is currently a student at Cornerstone University. All three are Wyoming natives.

Why would customers go to a repair shop rather than trade in a smartphone for a new model? Barnes said it’s often too costly, as many cell phone service companies charge fees for repairs even if you have insurance. Plus, customers can avoid signing a new contract.

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While the job isn’t new — they created parent company Note Tech Industries LLC about two years ago when Notenbaum began repairing cell phones from his basement — having a storefront begins a new chapter for the young entrepreneurs.

“When I was out of my house, business people were skeptical. We’ve only been here a couple weeks and I’ve already noticed more calls from companies who want to do business,” Notenbaum said.

Many small to mid-size businesses are reaching out for company phone care along with privately-owned cell phone franchises, Barnes said.

Developing a digital reputation, where customers in other states feel comfortable sending in their phones to be fixed, is another business goal. Many of those customers come from advertising on major search engines, VonMyhr said.

“E-commerce is different and a lot of people are skeptical at first, but that was the initial goal,” Notenbaum said. “Now that we have our storefront here, I want top-of-mind awareness locally before we go on a bigger scale.”

They hope to open another location in the next year “if it makes sense” and are hitting sales goals, although Notenbaum admits they are still taking off and profits are being reinvested into the business.

As for becoming a player in the mobile technology market, they are realizing the benefits and shortfalls.

“I enjoy being in the market because it’s constantly changing, so you have to stay on your toes with new devices coming out every week because we need to know the devices in and out to fix them,” VonMyhr said.

Those new devices are loaded with microscopic parts which are hard to keep in stock, he said.

But Barnes says the smartphone field is promising. That’s why he’s glad they are in it.

“In the next decade they will grow, everyone will have a smartphone. The market is only going to get bigger for us. It’s not going away, so we are catching it at the right time,” he said.

E-mail Ursula Zerilli: uzerilli@grpress.com

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