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By Jon Gosa

ALBANY — A Revival is happening in Albany. And it’s saving consumers a lot of cash.

The Phone Revival, a cellphone repair company located at 2831 Ledo Road, is the latest venture of local businessman Matt Melvin, a burgeoning business made possible by a combination of necessity and the evolution of cellphone technology as mobile devices have transformed from the old flip phones to a touch screen platform.

Touch screens, although very versatile for the tech-savvy, are also very fragile. Anyone who has ever dropped a touch screen phone is all too familiar with the cracked screen that often results.

Melvin, no stranger to the cellular industry, having worked for Verizon Wireless for years, grew weary of sending his valued customers to other businesses for repairs. A cracked screen or a broken charge port could be a big headache for mobile device users, according to Melvin, so after a great deal of thought and prayer, he decided to open his own repair facility.

“People would come in with broken devices or computer issues, and we would send it out,” Melvin said. “A lot of times, it would come back and it wasn’t done correctly or there were issues with it and (customers) would frown on us because we sent it out. We talked about it and at first we wanted to do it in the Digital Express store, but there simply wasn’t enough room.”

After locating the business in an initial location that was fraught with building issues, the Phone Revival found its home two doors down from the Verizon store that Melvin managed on Ledo Road.

“When we started this thing, we didn’t know how busy we would get,” the businessman said. “I knew I had to find the right person to do that job. You’ve got to have somebody who is a people person, and you have to have somebody who likes to fix things. I finally found (general manager) Misti (Waller), and we set up shop at a building on Slappey (Boulevard). But some of the lights didn’t work. It was kind of funny, but finally this place came open.

“So we moved in here and it started slowly, but it kept picking up more and more. Now we are able to refer customers between the two stores. Maybe I have a customer at Digital Express that needs something fixed. Now I can send them down to the Phone Revival, and the Phone Revival can send customers that need something else, like a new phone or a phone case, to Digital Express. It is very convenient for the customer.”

According to Melvin, many customers are very attached to their mobile devices, needing them for work or daily life. A quick, efficient and economical repair facility that is local saves them time and money.

“I think the biggest thing that happened before was people had insurance,” said Melvin. “Insurance was always the way to repair a damaged/broken phone. Now, cellphones are so important, if you break your phone, you don’t have time to wait a few days to get it fixed. Many times an insurance repair has to be sent to corporate.”

Time is one of the biggest issues with phone repairs, according to Waller.

“Most of the time people are literally standing at the desk wanting to know how long is it going to take to get their phone fixed,” she said. “It’s funny, some people are so attached they have a little tic while waiting for the repair to be completed. One customer told me while she was waiting that she kept reaching in her purse for her phone that was being repaired.”

Many repairs can be accomplished economically and within a relatively short amount of time, according to Waller.

“We have a lot of people who drop off their phones for repair, and when I tell them it will be ready in 30 minutes to an hour, they can’t believe it,” she said. “Also, many customers don’t have insurance or they are not eligible for an upgrade. That is where we come in. We give them another option rather than having to buy a new expensive phone because of something like a broken screen, which is the No. 1 thing we see here.”

The Phone Revival provides a variety of cellular phone repair services, which include replacing broken screens, charging ports, unsticking buttons, replacing batteries, repairing iPad screens, as well as basic adjustments to settings.

“We also offer one-on-one classes where we can teach you how to use a new phone that you have never used before,” said Waller. “This service has been very helpful for older clients.”

Along with the Albany store, the Phone Revival has another franchise location in Bainbridge and a drop location in Sylvester.

For more information, contact the Phone Revival at (229) 894-5557.