Erol's
Encyclopedia
Erol's refers to two companies, both founded by Erol Onaran
, a Turkish immigrant to Virginia
.
Erol's, Inc. was a video rental and electronic sales and repair company founded in the early 1980s. It was sold to Blockbuster Video for roughly $30 million. Its success was widespread enough to spawn imitations. In Bolivia, there are several video rental stores called Errol's (with 2 R's) using the same font and red text on a yellow background for their logo.
Using the money from the sale of the video company, Erol would then expand his TV repair company and began selling and repairing computers. Soon afterwards, he created an ISP
bearing his name in the mid 1990s, called Erol's Internet. The ISP was based in Northern Virginia, at the longtime Erol's headquarters at 7921 Woodruff Ct in Springfield, VA, and was the Washington, DC area's main competitor to AOL
and smaller ISPs such as ClarkNet
and CAIS. While owned by Erol Onaran
, the business was run by his son, Orhan Onaran. Services provided by Erol's Internet were basic dial-up access with email accounts and web space. Initially, Unix shell accounts were also provided. Unlike AOL, Erol's did not provide subscriber content, though limited attempts at this were made in later years. Erol's popularity was due to its locally based customer support, as well as cheaper prices. At one point a 5-year contract for dial-up access could be purchased for just over $300, bringing the monthly cost well below $19.95, which was the average price for all other competitors.
While mostly focused on residential customers, a unit called the Business Services Group (BSG) was set up to provide business services, such as custom domain names with web sites and email, RealAudio, dedicated servers, and static IPs or network blocks. Among the more famous customers was Reba McEntire
, whose reba.com web site was first hosted at Erol's. BSG was phased out after less than 2 years, although business services were available for several years longer.
In the late 1990s, Erol's sought to become a publicly traded corporation and began the process towards an IPO. Instead, the Internet portion of the company was sold to RCN. It was rebranded Erols Internet (note the lack of the apostrophe). Slowly, over time, the Erols brand was reduced in favor of the Starpower and later RCN brand, although the domain name still resolves to RCN servers.
The Onaran family retained a small store in the nearby Ravensworth shopping center under the name Erol's Computer which sold computer parts, and repaired computers and video equipment. It expanded later to include a modest selection of DVD rentals. It was located where one of their old video rental stores used to be, which was taken over by Blockbuster Video, which was then converted back into an Erol's store. Later, the store moved down the street, near its old ISP headquarters, to a converted storage unit at 5232 Port Royal Rd, Springfield, VA, where it operated as Erol's TV-VCR & Computer Service. Around 2007, the store had reportedly gone out of business (unconfirmed), with no more Erol's presence, other than a few remaining erols email accounts currently supported by RCN, known in the area after 20 years.
Erol Onaran
Erol Onaran , founder of Erol's TV, Erol's Video and Erol's Internet, was a Turkish-American businessman. He was born in Turkey, although he spent most of his young life in Istanbul, Turkey where he goes to Istanbul Erkek Lisesi before moving to the United States in 1959...
, a Turkish immigrant to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Erol's, Inc. was a video rental and electronic sales and repair company founded in the early 1980s. It was sold to Blockbuster Video for roughly $30 million. Its success was widespread enough to spawn imitations. In Bolivia, there are several video rental stores called Errol's (with 2 R's) using the same font and red text on a yellow background for their logo.
Using the money from the sale of the video company, Erol would then expand his TV repair company and began selling and repairing computers. Soon afterwards, he created an ISP
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
bearing his name in the mid 1990s, called Erol's Internet. The ISP was based in Northern Virginia, at the longtime Erol's headquarters at 7921 Woodruff Ct in Springfield, VA, and was the Washington, DC area's main competitor to AOL
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
and smaller ISPs such as ClarkNet
ClarkNet
ClarkNet was an Internet service provider located in Ellicott City, Maryland that began operation in April 1993. It was the first ISP local to the Baltimore area and the second ISP native to Maryland...
and CAIS. While owned by Erol Onaran
Erol Onaran
Erol Onaran , founder of Erol's TV, Erol's Video and Erol's Internet, was a Turkish-American businessman. He was born in Turkey, although he spent most of his young life in Istanbul, Turkey where he goes to Istanbul Erkek Lisesi before moving to the United States in 1959...
, the business was run by his son, Orhan Onaran. Services provided by Erol's Internet were basic dial-up access with email accounts and web space. Initially, Unix shell accounts were also provided. Unlike AOL, Erol's did not provide subscriber content, though limited attempts at this were made in later years. Erol's popularity was due to its locally based customer support, as well as cheaper prices. At one point a 5-year contract for dial-up access could be purchased for just over $300, bringing the monthly cost well below $19.95, which was the average price for all other competitors.
While mostly focused on residential customers, a unit called the Business Services Group (BSG) was set up to provide business services, such as custom domain names with web sites and email, RealAudio, dedicated servers, and static IPs or network blocks. Among the more famous customers was Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
, whose reba.com web site was first hosted at Erol's. BSG was phased out after less than 2 years, although business services were available for several years longer.
In the late 1990s, Erol's sought to become a publicly traded corporation and began the process towards an IPO. Instead, the Internet portion of the company was sold to RCN. It was rebranded Erols Internet (note the lack of the apostrophe). Slowly, over time, the Erols brand was reduced in favor of the Starpower and later RCN brand, although the domain name still resolves to RCN servers.
The Onaran family retained a small store in the nearby Ravensworth shopping center under the name Erol's Computer which sold computer parts, and repaired computers and video equipment. It expanded later to include a modest selection of DVD rentals. It was located where one of their old video rental stores used to be, which was taken over by Blockbuster Video, which was then converted back into an Erol's store. Later, the store moved down the street, near its old ISP headquarters, to a converted storage unit at 5232 Port Royal Rd, Springfield, VA, where it operated as Erol's TV-VCR & Computer Service. Around 2007, the store had reportedly gone out of business (unconfirmed), with no more Erol's presence, other than a few remaining erols email accounts currently supported by RCN, known in the area after 20 years.