Computer Cave co-owners Shane Lacks (on left) and Andy Kimberlin. (Jack Jacobs photo)
After deciding the Richmond computer-repair scene is too crowded for a new location, a Shockoe Bottom shop is betting on a westward expansion to grow the business.
Computer Cave, which repairs and sells computers and other electronics, is planning to open a new store in Charlottesville.
The company’s upcoming second location follows its Richmond outpost that opened about five years ago at 11 S. 15th St., and comes as Computer Cave is expanding its customized gaming PC offerings.
Computer Cave had been weighing a local expansion, and scouted Chesterfield County for a potential new location. That project came during co-owner Andy Kimberlin’s relocation to Waynesboro. With the move came familiarity with nearby Charlottesville, which appeared to Kimberlin to be home to fewer competitors compared to the Richmond area and on a similar growth trajectory.
“It’s a rapidly expanding area and it’s changing dramatically. It’s starting to feel like what Richmond felt like 10 or 20 years ago,” Kimberlin said. “It felt like Charlottesville would be another similar community we could fit into and support really well.”
The upcoming Charlottesville Computer Cave will be in a 900-square-foot space in the B suite of 1931 Arlington Blvd., which is part of the Barracks Road Shopping Center. The new store is expected to open next month and have a team of three or four employees.
Coinciding with its expansion, Computer Cave also is introducing pre-configured gaming computers, which co-owner Shane Lacks called a middle ground between the pre-built models at the store and the from-scratch computers that the company also offers.
“We’re going to have different configurations that you can choose from as far as processor, RAM, SSD, motherboard,” Lacks said. “It’s targeting the in-between customer who doesn’t necessarily know a lot about computers but they enjoy gaming with them.”
The plan is to begin to sell the pre-configured computers in May or June. They’re expected to be priced around $1,500 to $3,000. The pre-built gaming rigs start at about $1,300, and the fully customizable PCs start at around $5,500 and involve a consultation.
“We sit down with you, you say you want this part and this part, and you’re building exactly what you want rather than going with something we configured,” Lacks said of the fully customized PCs.
Sales of custom computers, either pre-built or custom jobs, are about 30 percent of the Computer Cave’s business, and a segment of its operations the company wants to grow, Lacks said.
Computer Cave also repairs cell phones, laptops and gaming consoles. The company additionally buys and sells used electronics.
Lacks said Computer Cave’s business is growing as electronics increase in cost and customers show more interest in fixing their devices in lieu of trashing them in favor of new ones.
“We’ve definitely seen a high increase in the type of repairs,” Lacks said. “People are a lot more willing to repair things rather than replace them.”
Computer Cave moved into its current 1,300-square-foot Richmond outpost in August 2019. The company relocated to the city after being founded in Ashland in May 2017. The company currently has a team of six people.
Once Computer Cave gets its bearings as a multi-store operation, it plans to further grow its footprint elsewhere in Virginia and out of state.