A new smartphone and tablet kiosk enterprise in Washington Mall is not standing still. It has acquired a repair shop on Court Street to augment its business.

Things rapidly took off for Direct.bm after owner Alex Jones identified a gap in the market and offered customers cellphones and tablets at more affordable prices. The brands include Leagoo and Doogee android phones from China, with functionality that compares well with more expense brand name phones.

Now the business has bought the iRepair store on Court Street to give it a greater capacity to carry out repairs on a variety of electronic devices, from cellphones to laptops, tablets to televisions, and even air-conditioning unit boards.

Mr Jones came across the repair shop when he needed to get an Apple laptop fixed. He said: “I found out about this place when I spilt water on my laptop. I brought it over and Cedric [Nunez] was able to restore it. For what he did, it was the best deal in town.”

The iRepair shop was founded by Nathan Ming, and has been operating for a number of years next door to the old Digicel store at the corner of Court Street and Dundonald Street.

Technician Mr Nunez remains part of the team. He has an extensive background in repairing phones and other devices, having previously worked for Intel and Cellular World in Grand Cayman.

Also at the shop is Bermudian apprentice technician Dahji Grimes.

It is now two months since Direct.bm acquired iRepair. There will be no change to the shop’s name — however, it is undergoing a makeover, with new shelving soon to be installed.

“We’ve cleaned it up and painted the walls. There is still a long way to go to get it where we want it,” said Mr Jones.

Nevertheless, yesterday there was a steady stream of customers stopping by to have their broken devices mended.

Mr Jones believes it is the most fully functional repair shop of its kind in Bermuda.

“It’s about giving the people what they want. That’s what we do, we serve, day in and day out.”

He would like to see the Court Street area become known for offering quality discounts.

“I hope people will come by and say hello and check out the business,” he said.

Direct.bm has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/direct.bm, and there is a separate Facebook page for iRepair at www.facebook.com/www.irepair.bm