Ben Falk is a boomerang. Determined never to look back, the 30something took flight from Michigan, set down in Florida, then landed in New York City a little more than five years ago. But to Ann Arbor's gain, Falk
is back, bringing
Beagle Brain, his computer repair business, with
him.
Beagle Brain anchors the northwestern end of the
Nickles Arcade, facing Maynard Street. The technology business may seem at odds
with its vintage surroundings, but not to Falk. "I don't think of us as
high tech. We're not here for computer people – we're here for
non-computer people," he says.
The tall windows that flood the
space with natural light attracted him, along with a downtown location
in close proximity to campus, a nearby parking structure, and the
beauty of the setting. "It's nice having huge windows. I really like
being in the arcade. It's aesthetically superior compared to anything
you'd get in a strip mall," Falk says.
The stability of the
arcade also attracted him. In five years, a strip mall could go from
flourishing to being riddled with vacancies. The arcade, he says, won't
be torn down.
This is the third stage for Beagle Brain. It
launched three years ago out of Falk's apartment in Brooklyn, finding
immediate success by offering pick-up and delivery service to
well-heeled but time-poor New Yorkers. When he moved back to Ann Arbor,
Beagle Brain operated from a small space on Thayer Street with a staff
of two and low overhead. Beagle Brain version 3.0 opened Jan 7, 2009 in
its current space. It currently employs seven people. Growing the
business is a balancing act between staffing up and repairs backing up,
Falk explains.
"We're really at a perfect spot right now --
busy but not backed up. Now we can offer same-day (or) next-day service
for a lot of repairs. In a community like this, people depend on their
computers," he says.
Why did Falk bolt the Big Apple for a
Midwestern backwater? "New York is really an incredible place. I still
feel that way. But community doesn't exist there. There are pockets
with a small amount of community: You and your street, for example.
That was painful for me. I didn't like the detachment – or the poor air
quality," he recalls.
Falk explains that community can't be advertised as a big city asset because it's one of those things people don't value until it's gone. "New York has incredible people, good
restaurants, a lot of cool things," Falk says, but "for me it comes back to the idea
that you're walking down the street, seeing hundreds of people every
day and for the sake of survival, you ignore everyone. You could do
this and feel normal."
Falk believes that that kind of city living can wear you down and leave you depressed. "It's like walking through the
woods and seeing another person – you would never walk on without
acknowledging them. You have to actively disconnect just to get down
the street. It's sad, and in a lot of realms."
Upon his return to Ann
Arbor, Falk felt a community spirit immediately. "People move a little
slower. Even before going to New York City, I thought Ann Arbor had the
perfect mix of downtown city, nature, and trees. You've got the river,
you can see hills."
"I grew up near Detroit and went to school
in Ann Arbor. I'm glad I went and experienced all the things about New
York. I even said, ‘I'll never leave.' But this is my home."
Falk
ascribes Beagle Brain's business success in part to community spirit
because he offers free estimates."Giving free estimates is a simple
process that works fine for us so why are some places charging a
diagnostic fee of $50 to $100?" he asks. "If you give them a fair
price, they're going to give you the job. I love the idea that our
first interaction with our customers is stress-free from a financial
standpoint."
Falk points out that much of the computer repair
industry is headed in the wrong direction. "Lots of people just rip off
customers. Everyone needs a trusted mechanic who gives them good advice
about their cars. It's the same way with computers. They're
indispensable. A lot of computer places don't want to offer trustworthy
service," he observes.
The free-estimate model has won over a
few of his competitors, he notes. "The idea is being adopted by places
that never had free estimates. I've seen their signs changing," he says.
Beagle
Brain has a big showroom filled with mostly empty shelves. Falk looks
forward to changing that someday. Focused on repairs, he doesn't have
the money for inventory to stock the store at the moment. That would
require a substantial investment, as much as $20,000 to $30,000.
A
close focus on repairs and having the storefront in town are big
pluses. "Nobody wants to send off their computer. And you have (our)
warranty if anything goes wrong again – that's huge," he offers.
Next
for Beagle Brain: Even more repair services. Beagle Brain offers
complex repairs, and in some cases, is the only such shop in Ann Arbor
to take on certain projects, Falk says. Retail has always been an
afterthought. He'd like Beagle Brain to have a carefully edited yet
comprehensive selection of merchandise with close-to-online pricing, so
people can be confident they're getting a good deal.
Finding a
partner to coordinate consulting is also on his wish list. "Everyone
here has huge knowledge of how to solve (technology) problems. I'd like
to go out and help companies maintain their computer worlds, keep
systems up and updated. It would be a valuable service. I'd love to
expand," he says.
Classes, even Beagle Brain shops nationwide, aren't beyond his vision.
"Five
years from now, I'd love to be everywhere we could be," Falk says. "I
believe in the value and service of what we're doing. What we're doing
is a good service."
Constance Crump has an uncanny sense of timing. She is
an Ann Arbor writer whose work has appeared in Crain's Detroit Business, The Ann Arbor News, The Detroit Free Press,
and Billboard Magazine. Her
previous article was Cultivating Cooperation: The Michigan Political Leadership Program.
All Photos by Dave Lewinski
Photos:
Ben Falk-Beagle Brain
Nickels Arcade Storefront
Delicate Repair Work-Ramen Removal
Ben Doing Some Repair
Dave Lewinski is Concentrate's Managing Photographer.