Renaissance Man
From retail to radio, this computer guy is in the know.
Few retailers would purposely turn down a sale, but that's
exactly what John Frazzini did when an 80-year-old couple came into
his store looking to purchase a computer. As the owner of three
Computer Renaissance stores in the Chicago area, Frazzini refused
to sell them a computer when they couldn't tell him why they
wanted one.
Instead of recommending an expensive, high-speed,
top-of-the-line machine, he signed them up for his free
introductory computing classes. When the couple returned with their
answer, Frazzini returned with a system to fit their needs.
From the weekly in-store classes and build-your-own-computer
workshops to the children's computer stations, Frazzini knew
from his beginnings in 1999 that he wanted to "provide the
community with knowledge." Bringing his technological
knowledge to the radio airwaves seemed the next logical step.
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Now heard twice weekly on local AM stations, Frazzini is looking
to spread that knowledge further by possibly syndicating his shows,
expanding into cable television and opening more stores.
"I'm providing a community service," the 56-year-old
says, "but I'm also reaping the benefits."
With his Joliet and Schaumburg stores tacking up $1.6 million in
1999 sales, he expects to hit $2.5 million this year with the
addition of a store in Chicago. "If it were just hardware,
I'd go out of business. I can't compete price-wise with the
Internet or the ‘big boxes.' But when I add all these
other aspects, they can't compete with me."
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