By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Six years after Tony Lonsway happened into becoming the owner of Inspect UR Gadget, he’s moved the business, along with his other enterprise, Net Pro, into new quarters in downtown Bowling Green.
Earlier this month the shop repair shop opened at 119 E. Court St.
The shop handles repair of laptops, desktops, cell phones, gaming consoles, computer towers, and more. “Basically anything electronic, we’ll look at it and try to fix it,” Lonsway said.
The shop got its start in a former bank branch building near the intersection of East Wooster and Mercer.
Lonsway was hired by the founders of the business. But soon they realized the business wasn’t what they wanted to do. So they sold it to Lonsway, and he made a go of it. “It’s something I definitely thought about. It kind of fell in my lap.”
The university provides a steady demand for services. Students go out to bars and drop their phones, he said. And they want their computers in top shape for finals week.
Sometimes, he admits, he’s appalled by how people treat their electronics, but he’ll do his best to repair the damage done by Mountain Dew spilled on a game console.
“Business came a little faster than we expected to,” Justin Garrett, a technician at the shop, said. They are building on the customer base from the previous location.
While the university provides most of the business, they serve community members as well, and Lonsway sees indications that the new location may help attract more. “People are finding us.”
Because the technicians at Inspect UR Gadget are willing to do what they can to get gear back in working order, including soldering parts if need be, the shop also brings in customers from outside Bowling Green.
On the bench recently was the control panel for an LCD TV. Some of the parts can’t be fix and must be replaced, but Lonsway can test the connectors.
Sometimes the customer just has to be told the equipment isn’t worth repairing, but Lonsway will put in the time to make sure that’s the case.
Sometimes with a telephone, the customer may want to spend more than the cost of replacement if it means saving the data on the telephone.
The shop also sells reconditioned lap tops that they either acquire from customers in trade for new computers or bought from vendors in Michigan.
“We go through them to make sure they’re working well and up to today’s standards and put a warranty on them and sell them,” Lonsway said.
Garrett noted that the shop is also a UPS drop off and pick up point, so students come through to return leased books at the end of the center.
Net Pro, Lonsway’s other business manages devices, networking, and servers for businesses. The new location means more space for that venture.
Lonsway didn’t grow up in a tech savvy household. His family had a farm with horses outside of Findlay. “We baled hay and all that fun stuff,” he said.
He knew he wanted to work with his hands, but not on an assembly line or in fast food. He studied diesel technology at the University of Northwestern Ohio. That’s where his fascination with electronics began.
He continued to study it on his own even as he had jobs managing auto parts stores.
Inspect UR Gadget is open weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday noon to 4 p.m. Call 567-694-8324.
