Cingular store heads to Manlius

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Aug 12, 2005 by Dickinson, Casey J

FAYETTEVILLE - The Cellular Shop is moving its Fayetteville Cingular Wireless store to Manlius, says owner David Mueller. The company plans to sell its store at the comer of Genesee and Highbridge streets to make way for a planned Walgreens pharmacy.

The former Alliance Bank location next to the Swan Pond in the Village of Manlius will become a new Cingular Wireless store, says

Mueller. The 2,740-square-foot bank building also has the potential to host a small restaurant in addition to the Cingular store, he adds. Several of The Cellular Shop's Cingular Wireless stores are located near Quiznos and Subway stores in the Buffalo market. The wireless store would require only one-third of the available space at the 201 Fayette St. building. Leasing agents for Quiznos have expressed an interest in the property, says Mueller.

The purchase and renovation of the former Alliance Bank property will cost approximately $650,000. The building has previously housed brunches of Oneida Valley National Bank, Merchant's National Bank, and Seneca Federal Savings Bank. Alliance built a new bank branch outside the village last year.

Transfer of the bank branch and sale of Mueller's Fayetteville location to Walgreens should take place before the end of the year, though no closing dates have been set, he explains.

Mueller acquired the 1,800-square-foot Fayetteville building in 1997. Originally from Buffalo, Mueller founded the Cellular, Shop a decade ago after working at Noble's electronics store in Carousel Center for several years. The first Cellular Shop opened in Ithaca in July 1995. The company now has 17 locations across upstate New York and employs 80. The Cellular Shop operates its stores tinder the Cingular Wireless brand.

When Mueller started in the wireless business, "car phones" were still around. As technology advanced, his Fayetteville car-phone installation area became a storage area. Subsequent reductions in wireless-phone sizes and delivery techniques have eliminated the need for extensive storage space as well. The Fayetteville Cingular wireless store now uses approximately half of the building's available space.

The Cellular Shop is now Cingular's top-selling agent in upstate New York, says Mueller. The company has followed a strategy of targeting underserved markets where Cingular service is strong but retail outlets are lacking. Competition among wireless providers has led to a drop in plan prices, leading to growth in the teen and pre-teen markets. Some consumers have forsaken landlines altogether and opted to use only a wireless phone.

Mueller also plans to seek permission from the Manlius village zoning board to develop a small strip of land into a park-style seating area adjacent to the Swan Pond. He would like to emulate parks he's seen in California that feature outdoor heat lamps.