Business Spotlight: Carson City computer retailer growing like a bulldog

A cluttered apartment was reason enough for Lindsey and Linda Jones to decide on opening their own store a year ago.

With computer parts and components quickly taking up room from Lindsey's repair business, the couple decided to move their inventory into a space of its own.

"It just was time to expand," Linda said.

So they opened Bulldog PC Repair in a 1,000 square-foot retail space located at 1815 North Carson Street last November.

Office Manager Sue Hasseler said Bulldog is a multifaceted and operates under a multi-dimensional business model, repairing and selling a diverse selection of electronic products.

Besides personal computers, Bulldog PC repair also fixes or refurbishes and re-sells flat screen televisions, tablets and even smart phones, Hasseler said.

Bulldog also services both Microsoft Windows-based and Apple Macintosh personal computers, something that very few small computer repair businesses do these days.

"We sell and repair both Windows and Macintosh, which is unique, because a lot of places don't do both," she said. "There are very few places that will repair Macintoshes because they take special tools and knowledge. We have the special tools that it takes, and the knowledge to do it."

The prices are reasonable, too, Hasseler said, because Bulldog believes as much in community as it does the products it services an sells.

"We can work out a better deal for people, and we stand behind the sale for 90 days," she said. "Being a family run business, Lindsey really stands behind them a lot longer than that. He really works with the community on prices."

Hasseler said Bulldog can work out payment plans and offer discounts on a case-by-base basis.

Plus consumers can save hundreds off the manufacturer's suggested retail price of brand new computers by purchasing refurbished units.

"Our prices can be much cheaper than the original prices," Hasseler said.

Refurbished personal computers (PCs) from Bulldog, she said, are sold in like-new condition with up-to-date operating systems, software, hard drives, memory and processors.

"We've now got the computers in Windows 10 where before they may have been operating in Windows 7 or XP," Hasseler said. "Lindsey goes through the whole system to make sure it's all current and up to date. He'll put in a whole new operating system, make sure they are functioning properly, and test them first."

Bulldog also boasts hosue calls for computer service and repair while offerign low labor costs, Hasseler said, furthering the business's commitment to serving its community.

"To the best of our knowledge, we are the lowest priced for repairs per hour at $65 per hour," she said. "We go out on service calls for people who just cannot take their desktop computer apart and bring it in. Or, they be too nervous to unplug all the cords and disconnect the units. So they ask us to come out to them."

Turn-around time is fairly short, too, Hasseler said. Service calls and repairs are often made the same or next day, depending on parts availability.

If a computer unit has to be kept longer, then Bulldog has a loaner program for its customers, Hasseler said.

"We try to see from the consumer's point of view and try to meet their needs," she said. "By lending out a computer, there aren't any huge breaks in productivity."

Bulldog also goes the extra mile for its customers by storing their old hard drives for up to a year in case they lose information and need to retrieve it again, Hasseler said.

"Whenever Lindsey does a repair on a computer, he will take the old hard drive out, put in a new hard drive, transfer all the data and then we keep that hard drive for that customer and store it for them for up to a year," she said. "If ever they are at home and can't find something on their computer, we have the backup for it."

But Bulldog PC repair isn't only for the savvy computer user. The business prides itself on helping those who are more computer avoidant, Hasseler said, or who are new to the technology.

"We offer classes for people who are novices on computers, or they have a fear of the computer," she said. "They know how to turn it on, but they don't know how to retrieve email. We bring it down to the very basics."

Computer classes are $30 per hour, Hasseler said.

Brand new at Bulldog PC Repair this year is yet another expansion of the business and its reflection to community commmitment, she said.

Adjacent to the retail store will be a 2,000 square-foot cyber cafe, featuring several gaming systems and even virtual reality.

The idea, Hasseler said, is to provide a safe and engaging environment for youth and adults to play and indulge their passions for gaming.

"Next door we will have 20 gaming computers set up where people can come in and rent the computer by the hour for gaming," she said. "Right now we have 14 gaming computers we are building. We already have seven built and ready to go."

Better yet, if a customer really likes the gaming system they are playing on at the cafe, there is a purchase option available through Bulldog, Hasseler said.

"If they really like the machine they are working on, they can work toward purchasing it," she said.

Lindsey Jones said the games will be provided through two different franchises, G.G. Leap and iGames, making the cyber cafe part of 680 other cyber cafes nationwide.

"What we're getting from G.G. Leap and iGames are all the games, software, updates, everything that the kids want," he said. "There will be two playstations, two Xboxs and one TV room."

Bulldog Cyber Cafe will also feature six virtual reality areas set up for play, complete with systems and equipment ready to put a user literally in the middle of gaming action.

"Virtual reality puts you into the game, just like being inside a movie," Hasseler said.

Featuring headsets and handsets, as well as a big screen for the audience to see what the user sees, virtual reality allows gamers to engage fully in the virtual world of computer gaming.

A grid area, though, is marked off and sensors in place that tell the user they cannot go any further. This ensures the safety of the gamer in the designated virtual reality space of the cafe.

"We're starting with 20 gaming machines and three VRs, and expanding to 40 and five," Lindsey said.

Hasseler said the decision to expand into a cyber cafe was made because of a clear need for fun venues appropriate for youth.

"We saw the need that there are so many teenagers and young adults in this area that don't have fun activities to do after school," she said. "There's a need for more place for people to go hang out. Let's get kids involved in something that's fun for them and that they can have a safe place to go."

Bulldog cyber cafe will feature packaged food and beverages, she said, because the emphasis is on the technology and maintaining a safe environment for consumers young and old alike.

"we want to have a clean, safe environment for kids, young adults as well as older adults to come and be entertained," she said. "This is going to be a nice establishment, where they can come and have fun."

One special event Hasseler said Bulldog wants to offer is a lock-out night on Friday and Saturdays where gamers can stay all night long and play.

"We lock the doors and everybody stays in until 8 a.m.," she said. "Kids can do it, too. There will be cameras for live streaming, so parents can check in on their phones and see what their kids are doing."

Lindsey Jones said he is targeting Dec. 1 as an opening date for the new Bulldog Cyber Cafe, and ideally he wants to be operating before Christmas.

Bulldog PC Repair currently features monthly drawings for customers, Hasseler said, featuring a number of giveaways, such as keyboard, bluetooth speakers and headsets as well as computer units.

To celebrate it's upcoming one-year anniversary, Hasseler said, Bulldog is giving away a laptop computer this month.

"People who come in can fill out the form and put it in for the drawing," she said.

For more information, call Bulldog PC Repair at 775-434-7510 or find it here on Facebook.