xCubicle Game Repair Shop Moves to Larger 25 Essex Street

Until a few weeks ago, it was rather commonplace to see a small queue huddled outside the nearly non-existent storefront at 25A Essex Street. The closet-sized retail space was home to xCubicle, a game system repair shop that conducted business through a “fast food window” with drop-off counter. Sorta like a quick-and-dirty toll booth. On any given visit, the cramped eight-by-five-foot workshop was visibly filled to the brim with scattered tools and gutted game consoles.

Business is reportedly thriving, with more customers journeying from afar.  Their exposure reaches outside the neighborhood from way uptown to Queens and Brooklyn.  We were told that client demographic is more adult than child, and that the most popular consoles brought in for servicing are XBox and Playstation 3.  The market for this service is rather niche, and while there is some competition, these guys hold their own.

So with success comes a new location…at the same location. Indeed, when the adjacent real estate at the corner of Hester Street became available for lease, xCubicle seized the day.  The workshop has been in the process of moving next door for the last few weeks, and will finally reopen tomorrow. 25 Essex offers a much larger footprint for repair work, and allows the company to dabble in Skillshare classes for photography and electronics.

xCubicle is a full service center which offers mail-in repair options, sells used video games, and buys back old systems at a nominal price (mainly for parts).

xCubicle, 25 Essex Street, (917) 338-0645; M-F: 1-7 pm, Wkd: 1-6 pm