CHAMPAIGN — As a teen growing up in Champaign-Urbana, James Wang frequented Internet cafes to play games, and over the years he built computers from parts that he bought or salvaged from other computers.

After studying and working in business, he decided to focus his career on computers as the store manager for a new computer store in Champaign that promises to be "not your average computer store," according to Wang.

Pro Computer Solutions will open its doors this week at 12 E. Washington St., in space previously occupied by B.Lime, a retailer that sold environmentally friendly products for babies and for the home.

"It was a good location. It's downtown and the place itself is very modern looking. It has a great storefront and a nice show floor," Wang said.

The business's owners are Jason Zuidema and Matthew Phillips, who opened Midwest Automotive Diesel in Champaign last year.

Zuidema, who said he and Phillips will continue operating the diesel shop, said the new venture was a way to diversify their business interests. He confessed he was not an expert in computers, "but Jim, who's managing the store, is."

Born in China, Wang came to Champaign when he was 5, attended Urbana High School and graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He also has an MBA from the University of Illinois.

He's been working in business since he graduated from the UI in 2008, but "I always wanted to do my own thing. I always wanted to work with computers," Wang said.

The new store will have several different focuses: a retail component, which will sell computers and accessories; a repair side, where staff will address problems in the store in front of customers; a gaming center; as well as network and database administration services for companies.

Instead of customers coming in with their computers and dropping them off at a counter and being told to come back in a few days, staff will set up the computer at a station and fix it with the individual, Wang said.

The company is also planning to be a third-party database administrator and help other companies set up networks in their offices.

Wang said this service is aimed at firms who cannot afford to keep a full-time network administrator on board to handle those duties.

On the retail side of the business the store will sell laptop computers, desktops, RAM, motherboards, hard drives, tablets, all-in-one computers and other accessories.

A section of the store will be devoted to a LAN (local area network) gaming center where people can make use of the store's high-speed Internet to compete with other players online. About 10 to 20 computer stations will be in that section.

"Everybody can do that at home — play games online — and you usually get to know people over the Internet, but this way you can also have meetings and it's easier to communicate. Anyone is welcome who finds that interesting," Wang said.

"And with this (setup) people can sit down, play at a station, see a shiny new graphics card on the shelf, put it in and try it."

They can buy it right then and there, he said.

The store currently staffs four people, including Wang and an intern from Parkland College.

A grand opening is being planned for a later date.

The store will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.