Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
FIX-IT MASTER CALLS IT A CAREER
Gus Rubino closing his Malvern store after 48 years of repairs
Gus Rubino is closing up shop. On Friday Rubino was cleaning out the last of his tools and parts from his shop as customers came in to get the last of the repaired electronics he has brought back to life during his 48 years on West King street.
“It’s been a good run,” said Rubino, who is 80 years old. “I don’t really know why I’m retiring now. Working a six-daya-week business it will be nice to take more day trips with Wilma,” his wife, who handled the books for the business.
“I love the challenge of repairing something when it comes in broken,” said Rubino. “I’m going to get this thing going no matter what. And usually I was able to fix it.”
Rubino grew up in Wayne and started working in electronics in 1955 at his Uncle Sam Rubino’s television repair shop in Paoli.
“He was a World War II vet and quite the businessman,” said Rubino.
In the early 1960s, Rubino was in the Army where he also repaired electronics, then he attended the Radio Electronic Institute in Philadelphia to perfect his craft. When his uncle retired in 1975, Rubino opened his own shop in Malvern and has been there ever since.
Television repair was the major part of the business until the flat-panel units came onto the market.
“They could still be repaired but the price often was not worth the price to repair them,” Rubino said.
“He has been the only game in town, for that matter many towns, and will be sorely missed.” — Rowland Watson, Malvern Business and Professional Association
“Most of my work in the past 15 years has been vintage 1970s stereos, amps and turntables. I repaired them when they were new and now I’m fixing them again. I did some warranty work but repairs were always the heart of the business,” said Rubino.
He and his wife have three sons, Doug, Phil and Mike and all worked in the shop with him as they grew up then used their electronics experience to find jobs in computer technology.
The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a story about Rubino in 2012, describing how his was one of few repair businesses that handles electronic in the region. He saw an uptick in work and his customer base expanded from Philadelphia to Allentown.
“This goes back to my first stereo,” said Dave Lignore of St. Peter’s, who stopped in to pick up his repaired Technics receiver and was the last customer in the store. Lignore was surprised to hear he was closing. He said he had found the business by accident and was sorry to hear it was closing.
“He has been the only game in town, for that matter many towns, and will be sorely missed,” said Rowland Watson of the Malvern Business and Professional Association. The group plans to honor him in September.
One of his last repairs was a early 1970s Fisher turntable for Deep Grove Records in Phoenixville. “It’s a classic piece,” Rubino said.
Rubino said he had never had trouble getting parts; he relied on Antique Supply in Arizona or “just Google — somebody, somewhere always has it,”
He also had an a large inventory of parts acquired over the years.
“Records do sound warmer, but younger people didn’t hear it, so they didn’t miss it.”
Asked if he had someone to refer customers to for future repairs Rubino said, “It’s a dying business, maybe Falcone’s in Media and Tom’s TV in Nottingham.”
Rubin said he didn’t want to be cast as sour to the future. He always like learning how now electronics operate. “Modern technology is so wonderful. You can now turn on your coffee pot 40 miles away,” he said. I’ll miss repairs, getting up in the morning, I couldn’t wait to get here.”