Love your Apple products? Things have just gotten better for you on the peninsula with the recent opening of MacTraders at 334 W. Washington St. in Sequim.

The husband and wife team of Glenn and Kecia Gilliam have expanded their successful used computer refurbish, resale and repair business near Salt Lake City, Utah, established in 2010, to local Apple aficionados.

Kecia, 30, said she grew up in a “techy family where we’d sit around and compare our computers,” and Glenn, 39, started using Mac products in 2008 for recording music.

“I’d buy a used Mac and sell it and buy another and saw a niche for buying and selling used Macs,” he said. “We decided we wanted a storefront so we took over another guy’s business.”

The Gilliams found out they had tapped into the right market and MacTraders continues to thrive in the original store.

“We hired a lot of smart people in Utah and learned a lot from them,” Glenn said. “I believe Apple products are the most stable and simplest to use and are of top quality. I believe they’re right for people who want their stuff to work.”

He was familiar with the Olympic Peninsula, having earned an associate degree from Peninsula College and a bachelor’s in business administration management from Western Washington University in the 1990s. With his father and stepmother longterm residents, Glenn said, “Sequim was the idea place for us to raise our young family,” which includes daughters Emma, 7, and Leah, 4.

With the closest Apple store being in Lynnwood, the couple knew they could sell and service all matter of previously enjoyed Apple products here.

Their enthusiasm for the brand is only outdone by their desire to save users significant dollars and educate them in the basics of Macs and iPads with group classes at the store or in one-on-one sessions.

“I think Apple products are fantastic but they’re only as good as those who know how to use them,” Glenn said.

“In the community, we have a lot of smart people but they may be intimidated by technology, so we want to help walk them through the learning process and help them get what they need rather than just selling them something. Our mantra is we make buying and selling used Apple products safe, easy and affordable.”

Cost-conscious consulting

Even though some buyers might want a new Mac computer, they’ll find the latest and greatest tend to be more expensive when compared to new PCs.

“What we do is make it more affordable,” Glenn said. “A new iMac is about $1,200 and we can sell one, depending on the model and the age, for about a fourth of the cost on certain models. Macs tend to run so long that even old Macs are fantastic tools and we provide a range from basic to close to new.”

The sharp, articulate and engaging couple will take unwanted Macs as trade-ins on upgraded store models or buy them outright and refurbish the computers for their shelves. Current products at the Sequim store are Macs, Apple portables and desktops, iPads and iPhones plus accessories and peripherals.

“We do our own refurbishing and sell them with a 90-day parts and labor warranty and a one-year labor warranty,” Kecia said.

Glenn added, “That’s an unheard of warranty in computer electronics. We can do repairs, upgrades, tune-ups and diagnostics. We’re just one phone call away from any question.”

At a Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting on Nov. 14, Glenn apologized several times for welling up with emotion for the welcome received from local Apple users, for being in a business and a place he and Kecia love, with a product they believe in and endorse.

“We’re really excited to be in Sequim to raise our family and give back to the community,” Kecia said, who wasted no time in joining Soroptimist International of Sequim since the Gilliams moved here three months ago.

Recognize MacTraders by the “smiling” red computer monitor logo on their vehicle and door — tentative hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Call for an appointment at 360-301-2738 and for information on classes.

MacTraders

Glenn and Kecia Gilliam, owners

Address: 334 W. Washington St., Sequim

Phone: 360-301-2738

Web: www.mactraders.net

E-mail: glenn@mactraders.net