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“You-Do-It” Electronics Center announces store closure
After 75 years of selling various electronics, the Needham store is set to close later this year
After 75 years of selling everything from TVs, audio equipment, antennas, wires, and maker kits, the “You-do-it” Electronics Center is preparing to close later this year.
It marks the end of an era for purchasing electronics in person from a store renowned for its bright neon sign along Route 128 in Needham.
The store announced its closure in an email sent to customers on Thursday evening.
“We acknowledge that the decision to close is bittersweet, but we are confident that the memories forged here will endure,” the email said.
The store will remain open as it sells off its inventory, office furniture and industrial shelving (all at “deep discounts.”)
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There is still no exact closing date.
History of “You-do-it” Electronics
According to his obituary, John Ahigian, who died at 94 in 2022, founded the store in 1949. He opened the “You-do-it” Electronics Center in Needham in 1965, following a successful business of a TV and radio repair shop in the South End.
Ahigian moved the store to the border of Boston’s inner beltway, a two-lane road that had few businesses and traffic at the time, Boston.com reported.
But, the region soon became the nation’s first high-tech corridor, attracting engineers and tinkerers to his superstore.
“‘You-do-it’ thrived because, whether you were a hobbyist or a major corporation, the store had just about any electronic part you could think of,” the obituary said.
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Ahigian’s children, grandchildren, and relatives all worked at the store.
“There’s so much heart and history in our company, and the fact we can carry that on is pretty awesome,” said Melissa Roy, one of Ahigian’s grandchildren, who worked at the business, to Boston.com in 2018.
Family members could not be reached in time for the story.
The community’s reaction
Customers took to social media to say that it was a “bummer” to see the store close. Many would frequent “You-do-it” for expert advice and electronic bits they forgot to order online.
“They’re a better version of what RadioShack was back in the day — a small business-owned place that had a variety of electronic components, ancillary stuff for kids and adults,” said Alex Guaraldi, owner of Copper Sound Pedals, a sound pedal board business.
Guaraldi has been an avid customer of the store for the past 10 years or so. The store recently hosted Copper Sound Pedals as a vendor and would host small events showcasing their products.
The store, which used to be two levels before consolidating to one, was a “hub for electronics,” said Guaraldi. “If you needed a surveillance camera cable, they had it. If you are working on soldering something because something broke, they had it.”
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Guaraldi said that even though people can buy tools for cheaper online, there is still a desire to have a physical store with a person to ask for advice.
“They were always dependable,” said Guaraldi. “Having a knowledgeable person outweighs most stuff you can read on the internet.”
For Northeastern electrical engineering Professor Stuart Brorson, the store was his go-to place while studying at MIT in the early ’80s.
Brorson blames the internet for ultimately putting the store out of business, where huge companies can now reliably ship cheap electronic equipment overnight.
“So places like You-Blew-It couldn’t compete,” Brorson said.
And yes, Brorson refers to the store jokingly as “You-Blew-It” because he frequented it whenever he made a mistake or something blew up.
Brorson said the store symbolizes a time when Route 128 was an “electronics paradise,” and Massachusetts was the center of the computer industry.
“Now it’s all pharmaceuticals,” Brorson said. “But at the time, it was a big electronics and software powerhouse.”
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