RadioShack franchises in Columbiana and Carrollton staying open for business

Claudia Gerber's RadioShack stores in Columbiana and Carrollton are open for business.

"I am not going anywhere," she said. "It never occurred to us that we wouldn"�t continue on." Earlier this year, Fort Worth, Texas-based RadioShack Corp. announced it reached an agreement with General Wireless Inc., an affiliate of Standard General L.P., to acquire up to 2,400 of the nearly 4,000 company-owned RadioShacks.

RadioShack filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to effect this transaction.

General Wireless, the entity formed to acquire the stores under the asset purchase agreement, has agreed on terms with Sprint to establish a new dedicated mobility "store within a store" retail presence. Five local stores are slated to become Sprint/RadioShack locations.

The company has a restructuring plan in place that includes the closing of several stores, including at least seven locally.

But not Gerber's, because she is a franchise owner.

"[RadioShack] has always been challenged," Gerber said.

But the RadioShack product, she said, is quality.

"We are licensed to sell their brand," she said. "We want to sell their brand. It's a core product line for us." Gerber is one of 800 global franchise partners with RadioShack. What will happen to the RadioShack product will be released after the auction for intellectual property and rights in late May, a company spokesperson said.

"Until you see the other products you don"�t realize" the quality of the RadioShack product, said Joe McAndrew, manager of Gerber's stores.

Gerber, an engineer, began her RadioShack business 15 years ago after her husband, also an engineer, needed parts for a job and found them at RadioShack. Six years ago Gerber decided to take on another RadioShack location at 1114 Village Plaza in Columbiana.

Today, she still sees workers in need of different gadgets to help them get the job done. When the shale boom hit here, she had workers in need of something to better their cellphone service and other products come in for assistance.

"It's a store that is as relevant today as it was 15 years ago," she said.

Gerber does have an expanded line of products outside of the RadioShack products. The shelves are stacked with everything from lap tops, network connectors, drones, sound bars, electronic toys and a list of other items.

A customer can go in the store to pick up a television antenna to get local channels, and then get a Roku box to stream Netflix and other media options.

Gerber's store has someone to greet the customer, find out what's needed and offer a solution, she said.

"We are close and we are a part of the community," she said. "What if you don"�t know how to change something? You need someone to walk you through that. That's what we offer." The brand and diversity of products is what sets the store apart from others.

"That is the key to RadioShack," she said. "I want to carry the RadioShack brand. I believe the brand will continue."

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