Dear RadioShack, This Is Why We Adored You. Love, WIRED

A Radio Shack employee set me on my path in life.

I remember this specifically because at 10 years old it was soooo cool!!... at the time. My uncle had given me this old AM/FM radio. He said it had a bad volume control on it and was not putting out the sound that he wanted. It still tuned in stations, but with the volume cranked you had to hold the radio next to your ear to hear what was on the station. There was a Radio Shack in town. It was next to the grocery store in this strip mall (this facility is no longer in existence). Even though I was 10, while getting groceries she let me wander into the Radio Shack where I used to look at all the gadgets they had on display. It was her way of knowing where to find me when she was ready to leave. The attendants in the store usually had no problem with me wandering around because I generally kept my hands to myself and just gawked at the gadgets. One day I brought the old radio into the store with me and asked the attendant if he knew of a trick to how to fix it. The guy was an older gentleman. Older than my Mom if that is any measure. He smiled and looked at the radio briefly. He asked if it was my radio and I told him how it was given to me. He then asked where my Mom was. Timing was such that my Mom just walked in the store to fetch me. My Mom apologized for me interrupting him with the old radio, but he said that was not any problem. He wanted to help me fix the volume control on the radio. While we stood there, he broke out a small screwdriver and opened the case. After some inspection he pointed out to me how the volume control rheostat (potentiometer) was worn out and what it would take to fix it. He said he could order a replacement part, but that I would need to learn how to do some minor soldering to replace it. I had seen my Grandfather do soldering, and I knew what that was enough to say that I was willing to try. In my mind, the worst that could happen was the radio would end up still useless. A few weeks later, he had the new part in for me. I took it home, and with a little help from my Grandfather we had the new volume control soldered into the radio circuit board. My first personal AM/FM radio. That radio went with me everywhere for years. I sometimes wonder how many pounds of batteries I went through with that thing. For years afterward, when I was in town I would hang out at the Radio Shack and learn about the different electronics parts and bits that they had on the walls. Along the way I learned about how electricity works and what problems can occur with electrical devices. I also learned about logic controls and programming, and eventually I learned about computers. All in that tiny little store that hired geeks out of necessity before IT was a buzzword. That Radio Shack was an informal school in my life. I miss that old store. Good people willing to help others with their gadgets. So long Radio Shack. Thanks for the kick start to my interests that have brought me to my career. The first store I can recall that validated my geekiness as a good thing.

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