New Wireless Zone store emphasizes personal service

GREAT BARRINGTON – Wireless Zone is the new kid on the block in the Big Y Plaza at 740 Main St.

The wireless retail franchise offers a wide variety of Verizon Wireless products. The new store is the fourth to be opened by Nathaniel E. “Nate” Bastarache.

His other Wireless Zones are in Chicopee, Easthampton and Northampton.

“I’m in all of my stores almost every day,” he said, noting he is a “hands-on” manager.

The local store’s grand opening was last Friday and included food and $3,000 worth of prizes.

Born in Leyden, Mass., near the Vermont border, Mr. Bastarache spent several years providing customer service in the auto industry. He’s been involved with Wireless Zone for the past four years.

Now a Montague resident (outside of Northampton), Mr. Bastarache said there is a strong and growing need for technology. He was looking for business opportunties.

Every time he visited a wireless store he was disappointed, he said. There were long lines and not-so-great service.

“Service was a key that wasn’t there,” he said.

Mr. Bastarache said the Great Barrington Wireless Zone store is a state-of-the-art facility. It’s well-stocked and fully-staffed seven days a week. Three to four employees will be on duty all the time.

Helping customers to no longer have to wait in long lines is the goal, he said.

Some people in Great Barrington have second homes and would rather do business at a local store where they find more personal service in a comfortable environment, Mr. Bastarache said.

“We are a full-service operation,” he said.

“We’ve been working on it for about a month and a half,” he said of the local store.

It has new equipment and fixtures, and is located in a spot previously occupied by a wine store.

Anyone who has had struggles with wireless service will find they can have high-speed internet in their hands via cell phones, he said. They will have “instantaneous access.”

The Great Barrington location will probably not be Mr. Bastarache’s last.

“We hope to expand in The Berkshires,” he said.

Wireless Zone was founded in 1988 and was originally known as “The Car Phone Store.” It is currently the largest wireless retail franchisor in the United States.

Entrepreneur magazine ranked Wireless Zone as the No. 1 franchise in its category. The company has doubled in size during the past three years, and there are now Wireless Zone stores in 263 locations.

All of the stores are independently-owned and operated. They offer exclusively Verizon Wireless products and services.

The Great Barrington store will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

As for the number of stores Mr. Bastarache plans to open, he said, “As many as it makes sense to have and wherever I am given the opportunity.”

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on October 11, 2012. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry