“Computer sales prop Genesee business”

Posted: 02 Sep 2010 02:43 PM PDT

Published: Thursday, September 02, 2010, 5:30 PM

GENESEE, Michigan — Back-to-school sales are pushing a brand new business into the black.

Crossroads Computer Solutions Sales and Service opened Aug. 9, and the owner, Steve Hensley, expects to post a profit.

"I wouldn't complain about how we've done so far," said Hensley, 43, of Genesee Township.

While it's tough for a small business to make money, Hensley has been busier than expected, he said. The business sells off-lease desktop and laptop computers; conducts virus and spyware removal; provides on-site computer work, data recovery and systems restore with back up and cleaning. He also does wireless networking.

Hensley charges $65 an hour but does not charge diagnostics fees.

With mostly residential — and a few commercial — customers, his sales are led by families buying computers for their children, he said. This time of year with school starting, they are looking for deals. Desktops start at $89, and laptops start at $189.99 and come with a 30-day hardware warranty.

Located at 7275 N. Genesee Road, Hensley likes working in the area where he was raised, he said. He and his wife, Diana, 39, grew up in Genesee County.

Diana Hensley encouraged him to open a store after he did computer work out of their home for two years.

"We were at a crossroads in our life," she said. "I'd always been the big bread winner for the house."

Hensley lost two jobs in two years because the child care centers where she worked closed. Previously, Steve Hensley worked in the steel business doing inside sales.

Now, his wife helps him answer phones during his lunch break. The couple has two children at home.

"He's trying to help revitalize Genesee," Diana Hensley said. "There are a lot of closed up businesses."

Store hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays; closed on Sundays.

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