Tekserve founders David Lerner and Dick Demenus met at the New York City public FM radio stationWBAI in 1970, and with engineer Mike Edl set up shop together late in the decade under the name Current Designs Corporation. Their business was electronic engineering and industrial design. They manufactured the indestructible music listening stations to be found at the Lincoln Center branch of the New York Public Library, and early models of the audio listening tours now found in many art museums. "We bought the very first Mac that came out in 1984 for $3,000, and we fell in love with it." Demenus says, "We’ve been loyal ever since." As Macintosh users and electrical engineers, the Current Designs partners found themselves uniquely qualified to fix their own Macs when they started to malfunction. Tekserve was formed as a "sister company under the same roof" dedicated to servicing Macintosh computers and became Apple-authorized for repair in 1993. Tekserve has occupied four locations on the same side of the same block in Chelsea: a loft at 115 West 23rd Street; another loft at 163 West 23rd Street ; a larger space on the fourth floor of 155 West 23rd Street, and later expansions to the third floor. In June 2002, the company moved to a storefront location at 119 West 23rd Street, occupying the entire first floor of the Printing Arts Building. The first three locations were notable for their eccentric decor, including an antique five-cent Coke machine, and a porch swing. On Wednesday, June 29, 2016, The NY Times reported the retail store and service center will close after 29 years of business, while the "corporate sales and professional services, as well as...an operation focused on small- and medium-size businesses" will continue to operate. Tekserve management cited Apple's continued market success together with the consequent seeming ubiquity of retail outlets to support its products as reasons for the decision to close the store and its repair service.
Several television series, including Law & Order and Sex and the City, have utilized Tekserve's facilities as a shooting location. In Sex and the City episode 408, My Motherboard. Myself,Aasif Mandvi was featured as a Tekserve employee attempting to recover data from Carrie Bradshaw's portable computer at the smaller 155 West 23rd Street location. American Pickers visited the store shortly before closing and purchased some items from the owner's personal collection.
