# Tekserve

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**Tekserve** was an American [consumer electronics](/source/Consumer_electronics) and [information technology consulting](/source/Information_technology_consulting) business based in the [Flatiron District](/source/Flatiron_District) of [Manhattan](/source/Manhattan), New York City. Founded in 1987 as a side business by [Macintosh](/source/Mac_(computer))-using engineers designing [computer](/source/Computer)-controlled institutional electronics, Tekserve grew from a small back-office Macintosh repair shop[1] to become the largest single-location [Apple Specialist](/source/Apple_Specialist) and Premium Service Provider in the United States.[2]

The store announced its closure on August 15, 2016, and the location subsequently became home to the [Poster House](/source/Poster_House) museum.[3][4]

## History

Tekserve founders David Lerner and Dick Demenus met at the New York City public FM radio station [WBAI](/source/WBAI) in 1970, and with engineer Mike Edl set up shop together late in the decade under the name Current Designs Corporation.[1] Their business was electronic engineering and industrial design. They manufactured the indestructible music listening stations to be found at the Lincoln Center branch of the [New York Public Library](/source/New_York_Public_Library),[5] and early models of the audio listening tours now found in many art museums.[6][7]

Tekserve was formed as a "sister company under the same roof"[8] dedicated to servicing Macintosh computers and became Apple-authorized for repair in 1993.[9][10] Tekserve occupied four locations on the same side of the same block in [Chelsea](/source/Chelsea,_Manhattan): a 3,000-foot (910-metre) loft at 115 West 23rd Street;[1] another loft at 163 West 23rd Street (the "Traffic Building"); a larger space on the fourth floor of 155 West 23rd Street, and later expansions to the third floor. In June 2002, the company moved to a 25,000-square foot (2,300-square metre) storefront location at 119 West 23rd Street, occupying the entire first floor of the [Printing Arts Building](/source/Printing_Arts_Building) (which extends through to 24th street).[11][12] The first three locations were notable for their eccentric decor, including an antique ten-cent Coke machine, and a porch swing.

In 2014, Tekserve birthed a [business-to-business](/source/Business-to-business) enterprise, T2 Computing, based on core competencies and experiences, which continues to operate.[13] T2 became part of Axispoint in 2017, the latter acquiring the right to the Tekserve brand name.[14]

On June 29, 2016, the *[New York Times](/source/New_York_Times)* reported the retail store and service center would close, while certain elements of the business remained open. It ultimately closed a few weeks before the end of its lease due to changes in shopping habits, the presence of multiple Apple stores and increased rent.[15][4]

## In popular culture

- Several [television series](/source/Television_series), including *[Law & Order](/source/Law_%26_Order)*[16] and *[Sex and the City](/source/Sex_and_the_City)*, have utilized Tekserve's facilities as a shooting location.
- In *Sex and the City* episode 408, "My Motherboard, Myself," [Aasif Mandvi](/source/Aasif_Mandvi) was featured as a Tekserve employee attempting to recover data from [Carrie Bradshaw](/source/Carrie_Bradshaw)'s portable computer at the smaller 155 West 23rd Street location.[17]
- *LaserWriter II*, a novel by [Tamara Shopsin](/source/Tamara_Shopsin), is about a 19-year-old girl who gets a job at Tekserve. The book introduces many different employees and offers a semi-fictional peek into the daily life of a printer technician at Tekserve.[18]
- *[American Pickers](/source/American_Pickers)* visited the store shortly before closing and purchased some items from the owner's personal collection.[19] Other pieces from the store's *Mac Museum* ultimately ended up in a museum in [Kyiv, Ukraine](/source/Kyiv,_Ukraine) operated by [MacPaw](/source/MacPaw).[20][21][22]

## References

1. Kadetsky, Elizabeth (September 1992). ["Low-tech computer lab - Current Designs and Tekserve in New York City"](http://web.archive.org/web/20051202051540/findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1563/is_n9_v10/ai_12617179/). *Home Office Computing*. Archived from [the original](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1563/is_n9_v10/ai_12617179/) on December 2, 2005. Retrieved December 6, 2025. – via FindArticles.com.

1. ["Computers and Electronics"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090918183043/http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/discounts/computers_electronics.shtml). *Mayor's Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting*. City of New York. Archived from [the original](http://www.nyc.gov/html/film/html/discounts/computers_electronics.shtml) on September 18, 2009. Retrieved August 2, 2009.

1. Marcus, Lilit (September 25, 2017). ["A peek inside New York's Poster House museum"](https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/new-york-poster-house-museum/index.html). CNN. [Archived](http://web.archive.org/web/20171001044712/http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/new-york-poster-house-museum/index.html) October 1, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

1. Rojas, Rick (June 29, 2016). ["Tekserve, Precursor to the Apple Store, to Close After 29 Years"](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/nyregion/tekserve-precursor-to-the-apple-store-to-close-after-29-years.html). *The New York Times*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20160703110744/www.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/nyregion/tekserve-precursor-to-the-apple-store-to-close-after-29-years.html) July 3, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 1, 2025.

1. Nelson, Nancy Melin (September 1, 1989). ["Current Designs: Macintosh-controlled audio stations"](https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA7941615&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=10417915&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E21a791fd&aty=open-web-entry). *Computers in Libraries*. **9** (8). Retrieved December 6, 2025.

1. Mantilla, Olga (September 7, 2005). ["Tekserve are the Mac daddies for all things Apple"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090107105123/http://www.thevillager.com/villager_123/tekservearethemacdaddies.html). *The Villager*. **75** (16). New York City: Community Media LLC. Archived from [the original](http://www.thevillager.com/villager_123/tekservearethemacdaddies.html) on January 7, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.

1. Li, Kenneth (3 August 1997). ["They Don't Stew, They Fix"](http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/money/1997/08/03/199). *New York Daily News*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110204025138/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/money/1997/08/03/1997-08-03_they_don_t_stew__they_fix.html) 4 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

1. Contrucci, Lance (November 18, 1991). ["Comfy Computers"](https://books.google.com/books?id=zugCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30). *New York Magazine*. **24** (45): 30. New York City: New York Media LLC. [ISSN 0028-7369](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0028-7369). Retrieved August 1, 2009.

1. Mulcahy, Conrad (March 21, 2006). ["The Errors Are Fatal, but Maybe There's Hope"](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/2006/03/21/nyregion/21ink.html). *The New York Times*. Retrieved December 1, 2025.

1. Dana, Rebecca (March 13, 2005). ["Revenge of the Apple Nerds"](https://web.archive.org/web/20050312050958/http://observer.com/pages/frontpage6.asp). *[The New York Observer](/source/The_New_York_Observer)*. The New York Observer LLC. Archived from [the original](http://observer.com/pages/frontpage6.asp) on March 12, 2005. Retrieved December 26, 2025.

1. Cohen, Peter (June 3, 2002). ["Tekserve moves to new NYC location tomorrow"](http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0206/03.tekserve.php). *MacCentral*. Mac Publishing. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20020615134505/http://maccentral.macworld.com/news/0206/03.tekserve.php) June 15, 2002 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 17, 2009.

1. Bernstein, Fred (June 20, 2002). ["A Shop Where Fun Meets Function"](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/2002/06/20/technology/circuits/20STOR.html). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. pp. G6. Retrieved December 1, 2025.

1. Dachman, Jason (January 13, 2017). ["T2 Computing Acquired by Axispoint, Partners With MPE for M&E Rental Business"](https://www.sportsvideo.org/2017/01/13/t2-computing-acquired-by-axispoint-partners-with-mpe-for-me-rental-business/). Sports Video Group. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

1. Novinson, Michael (11 January 2017). ["Tekserve Lives Again: Axispoint Buys Legendary Apple Reseller Brand, B2B Subsidiary"](https://www.crn.com/news/channel-programs/300083351/tekserve-lives-again-axispoint-buys-legendary-apple-reseller-brand-b2b-subsidiary.htm). *CRN*. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

1. Rajamani, Maya (30 June 2016). ["Tekserve to Close After Nearly Three Decades in Chelsea"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184931/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160630/chelsea/tekserve-close-after-nearly-three-decades-chelsea/). *DNAinfo New York*. Archived from [the original](https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160630/chelsea/tekserve-close-after-nearly-three-decades-chelsea/) on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

1. ["$50,000 worth of Apple iPods topple like dominoes in Tekserve ad"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100106224614/http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/9381/). *MacDailyNews*. MacDailyNews.com. April 26, 2006. Archived from [the original](http://www.macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/9381/) on January 6, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2009.

1. Scheier, Rachel (June 18, 2001). "Repair shop is place to be for ailing PCs". *[New York Daily News](/source/New_York_Daily_News)*. pp. [28](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/95446845/daily-news/), [29](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/95446875/daily-news/). – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Shopsin, Tamara (October 19, 2021). *LaserWriter II*. New York: MCD. ISBN 978-0374602574.

1. Kalish, Jon (August 31, 2016). ["Saying Farewell to Tekserve and Paying Big Bucks for Tech History"](https://www.pcmag.com/news/347428/saying-farewell-to-tekserve-and-paying-big-bucks-for-tech-hi). *PC Mag*. Retrieved June 11, 2017.

1. Haslam, Oliver (18 May 2021). ["MacPaw is opening its own Apple museum in Kyiv, Ukraine"](https://www.imore.com/macpaw-opening-its-own-apple-museum-kyiv-ukraine). *iMore*. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

1. Ichikawa, Akiko (26 July 2016). ["New Media Artists Mourn Tekserve, a Tech Oasis in New York"](https://hyperallergic.com/313770/new-media-artists-mourn-tekserve-a-tech-oasis-in-new-york/). *Hyperallergic*. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

1. Kahney, Leander & Pierini, David (17 December 2019). [*The Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition*](https://books.google.com/books?id=joBxDwAAQBAJ&dq=Tekserve&pg=PA97). No Starch Press. ISBN 978-1-59327-915-8. Retrieved 5 July 2021.

## External links

- [Official website](http://www.tekserve.com)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tekserve](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekserve) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tekserve?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.