Kaley Loewendick didn’t know what to do when her MacBook Pro fell off her top bunk two years ago.
The 20-year-old nursing junior turned to the UF Apple Service Center to fix the shattered screen, but shortly after, it broke again.
“I will never go back to that place,” Loewendick said.
If her Apple laptop broke now, she’d have more options.
GatorTec, a Gainesville-based Apple retail store, opened a new location Friday in Butler Plaza in the space formerly occupied by Casual Male.
Now with a second location at 3600 SW Archer Road, GatorTec is the only company in the area authorized to sell and repair most Apple products, excluding iPhones.
GatorTec owner Jim Dufek said he expects the store will service iPhones in the next six months.
The store differs from some other local repair shops because it does not perform unauthorized repairs on the phones, he said.
Dufek said his store only uses Apple authorized parts and works on in-warranty products, unlike ReTech, another repair store located in Butler Plaza. He said his store will also price match Best Buy and offers a greater selection of repairs and products.
GatorTec customers can come in for training sessions on how to use various Apple products, Dufek said.
“We have people that are in their 70s and 80s,” he said. “They learn how to use their computer for things they never thought possible.”
The first GatorTec location, which opened in Tioga Town Center almost three years ago, attracted customers from the other side of town.
Dufek said he was constantly receiving requests to open another, more centrally located store. He said the store at Butler Plaza will draw more foot traffic from both students and locals.
The new location is larger and has many more products on display for customers to test. It also offers a theater room for customers to try out wireless speakers and other home theater technologies.
The store is a continuation of the Butler Plaza redevelopment plan, which includes the summer openings of Pollo Tropical, Yogurtology and Pink Narcissus, wrote plaza spokeswoman Kristin Mamula in an email.
A version of this story ran on page 8 on 10/1/2013 under the headline "Apple-authorized store moves to Butler"
GatorTec opened a new Butler Plaza location in the spot formerly occupied by Casual Male, 3600 SW Archer Road.
