A Cure for What Ails You(r Computer)

A broken computer is nothing but a source of frustration and aggravation for most people, but for the employees of Laclede Computer Trading Company, it the kind of problem they fix every day.

The Affton store offers computer sales and repair and recycling of used electronics while also stocking a variety of electronic odds and ends. Manager Tom Wilson said the business has been around for about 25 years at several different locations in the St. Louis area and settled into Affton five years ago.  

Wilson started at the store part time while pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. After finishing school, he stuck with the business.

“Being in the position I am, I enjoy doing the variety of tasks,” he said.

From fixing broken PCs to sorting items for recycling to interacting with customers, Wilson said he manages to stay busy and on the move. He continues to tinker with gadgets when he gets off the clock, including building his own guitar amps.

The sick computers customers bring to Wilson and his team are most often downed by viruses. In the majority of cases, Wilson said the team can correct the problem and “not be too invasive.” Other common ailments include failed power supplies (a “semi-popular problem,” as Wilson put it) and dead hard drives.

Recycling is another core part of the Laclede Computer’s business. The company will take any used electronics, not just computers, Wilson said. Employees then sort the items—circuit boards in one box, wires and cables in another—and send them on to a larger facility. From there, the items are broken down, refined and sold back to manufacturers.

“It’s like a reverse supply chain. We are the first step in the process,” he said.

In addition to the computer sales and repair, Wilson said the store also draws a lot of regular customers who are electronic hobbyists or others in search of wired miscellanea. A quarter of floor is given over to shelves of seemingly obsolete junk. However, the stacks of old stuff can have hidden value.

As an example, Wilson pointed to a large cardboard box full of old stoplights. They’ve been picked up by everyone from model train enthusiasts to bar owners looking to add a bit of ambience. In one case, Wilson said a customer purchased a red one that he planted in his parking space.

“He thought if he put a light on it they wouldn’t pull in,” he said. “Almost everyone has their own reason for it.”