By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

The new TCWireless store at 323 N. Ash St. in Hillsboro has been providing local sales and services for cell phone and Internet users since June.

TCWireless is affiliated with TCT, a telecommunications company headquartered in Council Grove. It has stores in Council Grove and Abilene.

TCWireless provides cell phone tower service from the Colorado border to Emporia. The company has antennas in almost every town in Marion County and has partnerships with other cell phone providers for seamless service to anywhere.

“We can guarantee better service because we are local,” said retail store manager Amy Cott.

She said farmers appreciate having local rural service available.

A man from Abilene comes every Tuesday to repair computers and phones.

The store provides many of the same items Radio Shack provided in the past in Hillsboro.

Cott said some of the more popular items are printers and printer ink, cell phone cases, and various cables.

“Right now, with the holidays, it makes it easier to go into a local store and shop instead of fighting crowds in the big box stores,” she said.

Tyler Ediger has been assistant store manager at Hillsboro for two months after undergoing two weeks of training at Council Grove.

The Hillsboro native said he is glad to be back in town after working in car sales in McPherson.

“I like this job because it is stress-free,” he said. “I like assisting customers and seeing familiar faces.”