Chandler’s Challenge: Repairing Rural Arkansas.

In his small town of Wynne, Arkansas, Chandler is known as a huge Geek. It’s a nickname he fondly accepts from the population of 8,000 people and says it is quite fitting. “We are the only repair shop in this area for hundreds of miles.” It's one of those quintessential “everybody knows everybody” places and Chandler is known as the gadget fix-all guy. His store, 2 Geek Repairs, is a one-stop shop for electronics. 

Born and raised in Wynne, Chandler grew up in retail. When he was three, his parents opened a gift shop, Cordial Cottage. Chandler and his brother were manning the cash register as soon as they could reach it with their tiny fingers. Chandler found himself taking things apart, learning to repair them, and was specifically interested in Cell Phones. He would order broken cell phones on eBay and then repair them, teaching himself the inner workings of each device. Chandler’s parents carved out a little corner space in their busy gift shop to let him set up a station to repair phones when he was in high school. His “pop-up” repair shop became so busy, he delayed graduating from High School finding himself too busy to put down phones and pick up his school work. Chandler eventually finished high school but kept growing his business adding new services and products. 

Chandler is proud to have moved from his petite kiosk into a 1000-square-foot space and says his biggest asset is his brother, whom he was able to hire full-time as a manager. He didn’t move very far from his original location as he still works in the building where his parents own the gift shop. It’s something characteristic about Chandler and his family, they stick around.

Chandler looks out for the community and says specifically the elderly in his community tend to fall, victim. He wants them to feel safe on the internet and not succumb to scams online. He helps people navigate IT. He takes pride in bringing access to services to his small town. “We know our customers by first name,” says Chandler. 

Chandler says his goal is to open another location one day so growth for his business is essential; Certified Cell has become an important part of his growth strategy. “Certified Cell helps because it is no capital upfront. I know it’s always going to be top-shelf quality,” Chandler said. He went on to say the most important thing Certified Cell’s consignment inventory program gives him is his time back because he isn’t out looking for devices on the market. 

Growth is coming in all forms in Chandler’s life. His family is growing by two tiny feet in January. His business and its success just became that much more essential for his family. Chandler is no stranger to the hard work it takes to be an entrepreneur but hopes one day, working is optional for him. 

To learn more about Chandlers store visit: 2geeksrepair.com

To learn more about Certified Cell visit: www.certifiedcell.com