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Published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on March 8, 2000. All rights reserved.

Computer Sales: Storefronts Still Count

Think opposite sides of the spectrum. One small computer

retailer, American Computer Products, is bucking the trend to

mail order by opening a store on Quakerbridge Road. Meanwhile one

of the big computer mail order companies is opening a showroom on

Nassau Street.

Gateway Computers is one of the mailorder/Web-order companies

that threatens to take over the PC market. Order a Gateway computer

by phone or on the Web and in a couple of days the big box with the

black and white cow spots will be sitting at your door.

But, as computer retailers like to point out, ordering remotely does

not offer the "touch and feel" opportunities that "real"

stores have. So Gateway has restructured its business plan and has

opened showrooms, not for sale, but just for the "touch and feel,"

in storefronts and in office supply stores. The first in Princeton

will be on 30 Nassau Street, in a property owned by Pilaf Partners

and leased by Palmer Square Management, between Chambers Street and

Palmer Square.

Though some of the 235 Gateway Country stores include training centers

and repair shops, this store (deep but narrow) will not accommodate

that, says Greg Lund, the San Diego-based spokesperson. What

it does offer is a place to test the computer before you buy. Gateway

hopes to occupy the space this month and hire 15 employees (800-846-2000,

http://www.gateway.com.

Usually Gateway showrooms are in small strip malls located near larger

malls — to maximize both accessibility and traffic. But as Lund

says, downtown Princeton is different. This location is just across

from Princeton University, in a space formerly occupied by Edith’s

Lingerie.

Halim Jung also saw a gap when he visited Hamilton Township.

"I was driving down Route 33, and I noticed there were no computer

stores. But I really wanted some floppy disks," he says. Finally

finding a store, he was "shocked to see such high prices."

So, he started up a computer shop of his own, aiming to offer lower

prices and better service than the competition.

At American Computer Products in Quakerbridge Convenience Center you

can buy or rent a computer assembled onsite, or you can walk home

with a printer, a scanner, or almost any computer accessory (609-689-3255,

http://www.acp2000.com).

"There have been lots of positive responses," says Jung, who

was born in India, has an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson, and has worked

for New Jersey-based CompuMax as a corporate sales manager. He is

unfazed by the specter of the mega computer stores edging out the

smaller shops. He’s wagering that trying where others had failed in

the retail computer market will pay off — and so far, it has.

"It’s because everyone’s leaving that I went into the area. People

are happy to have a computer store close to home."