That still feels a little unreal to write.
In a world where companies come and go fast, staying in business for 25 years is not something you do by accident. You do it by building something real, with people who care, and customers who give you the chance to keep earning their trust year after year.
If you asked me what it takes to make it this long, I’d keep it simple: good employees and good customers. That’s the formula. Everything else is just the story that happens in between.
And believe me, there are stories.
Some are great. Some are tough. Some are the kind you laugh about later because you survived them. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share a few of those moments because the truth is, our growth did not come from a single big break. It came from a long series of decisions, risks, setbacks, and small wins that added up over time.
This is where it all began.
We Started in an Old U-Totem
In 2001, Vintage got started by purchasing a small computer retail store in one of the most economically challenging areas of Austin.
The store itself was in an old U-Totem. If you remember those, you already know the vibe. It was not glamorous. It was not polished. But it was ours.
One detail I’ll never forget: the old beer cooler had been turned into an inventory room.
That was the kind of place it was. You made do. You found space where you could. You worked with what you had and you learned to move fast.
Back then, we were doing what most small computer businesses did in that era:
We sold computer parts
We built computers
We handled a lot of break-fix work for local customers and small businesses
And for a while, we grew fast.
At one point, Vintage was Austin’s third largest computer manufacturer.
That line surprises people today because they know Vintage IT as a managed services firm, not as a company that used to build computers. But that’s the point of the story. Businesses evolve, and sometimes your early chapters barely resemble the company you become.
Still, those early days shaped us.
They taught us how to troubleshoot under pressure, how to communicate with real people who needed help right now, and how to earn loyalty one solved problem at a time.
Three Months In, 9/11 Changed Everything
About three months after we took over the business, 9/11 happened.
I remember watching the towers come down on a TV in the office. I wasn’t alone. An employee was there with me, and his son worked in the World Trade Center.
That moment is hard to put into words. You feel the shock, the fear, the disbelief, all at once. And then you realize you’re sitting beside someone whose life just might have changed forever.
A few days later, we learned Jerry’s son was alive and well.
That was the good news.
The other reality was that our business was not.
For three months, almost no retail business existed for us.
People were not shopping for computer parts. They were not upgrading systems. They were not spending money unless they had to. The world had shifted overnight, and when something that big happens, small businesses feel it immediately.
Looking back, it would have been easy to panic and retreat. It would have been easy to blame the economy, the timing, the location, the market, anything.
But when you are running a small company, you quickly learn something important: you can’t always control what happens around you, but you can control what you do next.
The Downtown Move That Felt Crazy at the Time
Fast forward to the summer of 2002.
We made a decision that felt momentous, and honestly, a little terrifying.
We doubled our rent and moved to downtown Austin.
That sounds simple when you read it quickly. It wasn’t simple at all.
Doubling rent is the kind of move that makes you stare at the numbers ten different ways, hoping you missed something. It’s the kind of decision that keeps you up at night because it’s not just a business risk, it’s a personal one. Your employees count on you. Your customers count on you. Your family counts on you.
But we believed in what we were building. We believed being downtown would put us closer to the businesses we wanted to serve and the opportunities we wanted to grow into.
And that decision made a major positive impact on our business.
Not instantly. Not magically. But steadily.
The right location brought visibility. Visibility brought conversations. Conversations brought relationships. And relationships built momentum.
This was one of the first big lessons that would repeat itself for us over the next 25 years: sometimes the move that feels uncomfortable is the one that creates the next chapter.
20 Years in One Place, Then the World Shifted Again
We stayed in that downtown location for 20 years.
Twenty years is a long time in technology. It’s a long time in Austin, too. The city changed, the industry changed, and we changed with it.
Then COVID happened, and like so many companies, we were forced to work remote.
At the time, it felt like yet another moment of uncertainty. Another big shift we didn’t ask for. Another situation where you adapt quickly or you fall behind.
What surprised us was this: we liked working remotely so much, we made it permanent.
That decision didn’t mean we stopped being local or stopped caring about community. It meant we found a better way to operate, to support our clients, and to build a modern workforce that matches how people live and work today.
In a way, it was the same pattern all over again.
A major external event forces a change.
We adapt.
We find the opportunity inside the disruption.
We keep moving forward.
Why This Anniversary Matters
This 25-year milestone isn’t just about celebrating longevity. It’s about recognizing what makes longevity possible.
It’s the employees who show up, solve problems, and care about doing the job right. It’s the customers who trust us with their businesses and invite us into their teams as a true partner. It’s the willingness to make hard calls, to learn, and to evolve without losing the values that got you here.
From an old U-Totem with an inventory room in a former beer cooler, to becoming Austin’s largest locally owned managed services firm, the journey has been full of defining moments.
And we’re just getting started.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll share more of the stories that shaped Vintage IT. Some will make you laugh. Some will make you think. Some will remind you that building anything that lasts takes grit, patience, and people who believe in what they are creating.
If you’ve been part of our journey as an employee, a customer, a partner, or even just someone who’s followed along, thank you.
You helped make these 25 years possible.