End of the Independent Computer Retailer

You know, when I think back on it now, I can just about pin-point the month and year that spelled the doom of the independent computer retailer. It was at Comdex East, in Atlanta, in June 1980. The most striking thing about the new computers shown at the exhibit area was the packaging. There were obviously configurations of computers that were designed by professional industrial designers. It was clear that the venture capitalists had discovered the personal computer industry. That was the beginning of the end for stores like mine, because the demands on the dealers became the same as the rest of the computer industry, and the local banking industry still didn't understand that this wasn't just a hobby toy.