Ferndale Business Combines Local Couple's High-Tech Talents

There are many unique and interesting businesses that call Ferndale home, from retailers and restaurants to art galleries and even businesses you might not have known existed in your own backyard.

Each week, Patch will feature a Ferndale business to learn about its roots, plans for the future and more.

This week, get to know Tecoso Computer Solutions, located at 122 East Nine Mile Road. The computer repair and service business, owned by Neal and Sara Flowers, will celebrate 11 years in Ferndale this June.

Here's what Sara Flowers had to say in a recent interview with Patch:

How did your business get started?

Sara Flowers has a background in graphic design and her husband is a computer expert, she explained. "We decided to combine our backgrounds and do one business," she said.

"We had a computer consulting business before the retail store and just decided to expand it by moving to the retail market," Flowers said.

Why Ferndale?

"We just loved it here," said Flowers, who lives with her family just outside of Ferndale in Oak Park. "We were familiar with the Ferndale area before we moved to Oak Park. Our kids go to the Ferndale Schools and we just loved the community. I just love the uniqueness of it, and the independent stores and restaurants."

What was the hardest part of becoming a small business owner? The best part?

"The hardest part is a lot of long hours," Flowers said. "It's kind of like the hardest and the best part is just that you work a lot but then you also have the flexibility to leave or close when you want. I can have my kids here. It's also the hardest part because you don't always have the flexibility because we work so many hours."

What are some things about your business that people might not know about?

"That we do data recovery," Flowers explained. "It's a big thing. It seems like people are just not good with backing up their data. I get so many people who are just desperate - 'I lost everything.' There just aren't a lot of places that do it locally, and people get nervous about sending their hard drive across the country to somebody."

Tecoso also sells used laptops, which many people don't realize, she said. "You can probably get a better laptop used than the really cheap ones new," Flowers said. "Used laptops are not for everyone but there is definitely a huge market for it."

The business focuses on personalized service to customers. "I spend a lot of time with them and that's service they can't get anywhere else," she said.

What's your favorite thing about being part of the Ferndale business community?

"Everyone supports each other," Flowers said. "For the most part it's a close-knit community both with the residents and with the businesses. A lot of business owners actually live here or close by."

What's next for your business?

"What's next is expanding our used laptops for sale because when we do have them here they sell so quickly," she said.

Do you have any advice for people who want to start a small business in the area?

"I'd say if they want to do it they should follow their dreams," Flowers says. "Be prepared for a lot of hard work and a lot of difficult times, but it's worth it. It's worth it if you're willing to tough it out and get through that hump."

For more information on Tecoso, visit their web site or their Facebook page. Have you used Tecoso's services? Tell us in the comments section below.