I remember being the guy on the other side of the counter at a small mom and pop computer store in the mid nineties that catered to local small and mid-sized bu

I remember being the guy on the other side of the counter at a small mom and pop computer store in the mid nineties that catered to local small and mid-sized businesses. We always had fresh coffee and pastries, huge leather bound chairs to hang out and the owner always kept a decent selection of wine, scotch, and cigars on hand. We had regular customers who came by every week for a cup of coffee and to chat about what was new, and on Saturdays we came in and opened the store just to hang out with people and play games on the LAN. Every machine was custom built for the customer. People who didn't know much about computers got an education and our recommendation for the best parts (we knew what manufacturers parts we had to send back). People who knew what they wanted got exactly what they wanted. We would even take your old machine and copy/reconstruct all the software, settings and data to the new machine. Then the race to the bottom happened in the late 90's and there was no more margin for that sort of service. The company is still around, but they got bought out years ago by a services business and the owner left and started a business selling things made from reclaimed wood. I miss the craftsmanship, attention to detail and customer service.