PROFILE: Father, son turn computer interest into business

By Daniel Pye/pyed@gnnewspaper.com

January 18, 2008 09:16 pm

— In cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, Internet cafes are a dime a dozen. But in a village like Kenmore, public Internet access outside of the library is hard to come by.
That’s what led Shaun Sisson to go into business with his father, Joe, start up Buffalo Computers in Kenmore and combine an Internet cafe with Joe’s existing computer repair business.
“We had to be centrally located so we could business get to the city and also to the townships,” Shaun said. “We also wanted somewhere where there would be walking traffic so we could be part of the neighborhood.”
After six years, Shaun said the area’s residents have accepted the store for something that’s here to stay, which is a difficult feat with so many stores opening and closing in the area.
Shaun’s interest in computers started early, watching his dad taking apart and fixing computer systems.
“When my dad used to build computers, he would show me the parts inside,” Shaun said. “I can remember being 6 or 7 and holding the screwdriver while he was toying around in there.”
Joe’s interest in computers started in the late 1970s, when early computer programmers were beginning to teach computers to play chess. Once Joe’s human services job also began using billing programs that employees had to write, he began taking more than a passing interest in computer construction and repair.
“Nobody serviced the computers then, so we had to fix them ourselves,” Joe said. “In every office, there was always someone that was the office computer guru, and that was me.”
After gaining more and more experience, Joe started consulting for other agencies and eventually began servicing computers for local businesses. The business component of the store’s repair work is still the mainstay of the business, allowing them to run the cafe section and carry out residential calls on the side, Joe said.
Everyone needs computers, from teenagers looking for information for school to grandparents who want to retrieve pictures of their grandchildren from an e-mail. That makes the store’s demographic broad, ranging from high schoolers to baby boomers, and leads to some interesting conversations, Shaun said.
“Everybody needs to keep in touch to get whatever they want,” Shaun said. “People come in here and then start a conversation with someone else about something that isn’t even what they came in here for. It breaks down barriers, which is kind of cool.”
Contact reporter Daniel Pyeat 693-1000, ext. 158.