After nearly two decades on South Kerr Avenue, a Wilmington computer repair business that focuses on Apple products is moving to Oleander Drive.

Bilzi Mac, currently at 251 S. Kerr Ave., will open in its new location at 4303 Oleander Drive on Jan. 2, said Steve Bilzi, who owns the business with his wife, Sue.

“We wanted to be more visible and more convenient for people ... and all that construction going on was the last straw,” Bilzi said Monday, referring to an N.C. Department of Transportation project to widen South Kerr Avenue. “It’s an inconvenience for people, and the last thing our business wants to do is be inconvenient for anybody.”

Bilzi’s Apple experience dates back to the 1980s. He operated an embroidery and silk-screening factory that took up an entire city block in Los Angeles when Apple’s first Macintosh computer entered the market in 1984. Bilzi, who had been working on computers since the 1960s when there were no screens and you had to use punch cards, said he loaded up the whole factory with Apple machines and started developing the ability to service them.

“When we started using those Macs in our business, I saw something that was really intriguing and started leaning in that direction,” Bilzi said.

He moved to Wilmington in 1992, serving on the New Hanover County Board of Education from 1998 to 2006. With Bilzi Mac, the Bilzis have built a database of more than 7,000 clients that include customers from out of town and overseas. They also have a third full-time employee, Duane Kelley.

“We have people that trust us that drive all the way from Raleigh instead of going to the Apple Store,” Steve Bilzi said. "Once we develop relationships with our clients, we like to think we're the one they trust. And it doesn't matter where they live, they kind of stick with us. It's very heartwarming."  

The new office for Bilzi Mac in Landmark Plaza is 2,400 square feet, about 25 percent bigger than the business’ current digs, he said. The Bilzis leased the space for an undisclosed amount from the owner, Edwin Ennis.

In addition to repairs and other Apple product services, Bilzi Mac also offers classes and house calls, often helping people connect multiple computers and back them up, Steve Bilzi said.