JOSHUA SILLS/Arizona Summer Wildcat Elliot Kelly, owner of The Internet Convenience Store, leans over an out of use terminal and discusses his business. The store is located downtown at 246 E. Congress Street.

The computer crashes moments before the research paper was saved to a disk. Inappropriate pop-up windows invade an innocent e-mail check.

Computers frustrated Elliott Kelly, UA alumnus and owner of the Internet Convenience Store, once too. More specifically, he cursed his machine while hurling pens at the monitor when he watched $3,000 vanish to oblivion in under two minutes. Needless to say, he emphasizes the "ex" in "ex-stock trader" after that market crash.

With that memory still fresh in Kelly's mind, he decided to create an environment where people could enjoy the company of their computer.

"It's always been my dream to create a collaborative community. I want an intimate world," Kelly gushed, so passionate about this dream-come-true that he was moved to tears.

And the "internal culture," as Kelly calls it, at the Internet Convenience Store seems intimate and collaborative to employees and customers alike.

"I've met a lot of people here. It's a nice environment," said Garland Saunders, a regular at the store. Saunders, whom employees greet by name, pops into the store at least every other day to check his e-mail, play interactive games and chat with the "cool" owner.

Isaiah Bolenbaugh, an employee known as the "Emperor of Gaming," spent so much time at the store, the next logical step was to work there.

Low Down Internet Convenience Store 276 E. Congress 880-5566 Open 24 hours

"It's more of a family, less of a business. It's a tribe. I run it loosely. I don't ever yell. Most people who work here do so because they'd be spending money here otherwise," Kelly explained.

With his strawberry-blond, thick braid, shorts and T-shirt, one would never guess that Kelly used to work cooped up in an office. Anti-corporate to the core, idealistic and a people person, it's surprising that Kelly used to trade stock back when he lived in Texas.

Likewise, walking by 276 E. Congress, one might not guess that the Internet Convenience Store offers much more than buck-an-hour Internet and convenience store buys.

The store at first seems to be exactly what the "cold" name ÷ and Kelly admits the name is cold ÷ suggests: a place to surf the net and a place to buy cigarettes or a snack. The pale tile floor sits under nine computers and mismatched chairs. A TV is always on, and its sound sails through the tight quarters while customers sit silently engrossed in their online tasks.

Look beyond the linoleum and bulk candy, and one might start to see evidence of the community, intimacy and collaboration for which Kelly whole-heartedly strives. For instance, the $1 fee to use the DSL-connected, 256K Internet service doesn't go into a cash register or nameless box, but instead goes into the "Good Karma Jar." The walls showcase local artwork, free for anyone to post with a price tag.

"It's not a formal gallery, but it gets a lot more traffic than others. I see 200-300 people a day," Kelly said. He's already sold three paintings of local artists who posted their work at the store.

The traffic at the Internet Convenience Store hasn't always been the art-buying type, though.Before it was the Internet Convenience Store, it was Empowery, a place for the homeless to become educated in computer skills necessary for the workplace. Kelly ran Empowery, where one of his goals was to make technology as accessible as possible. But as crime increased on that corner, Kelly said, Empowery had a sort of power failure of its own. The level of crime surrounding Empowery forced it to shut down and after a police crackdown and Kelly's makeover, the address became the new home of the Internet Convenience Store.

"There tend to be intellects in here. Computers keep things clean and safe. I'm left with generally young people who are bright. It's what I like to call a barbershop atmosphere. It's not a place to drink, but to meet with people you know," Kelly said.

Go in for the cheap Internet access and stay for the atmosphere.

As Bolenbaugh said, "Buck an hour Internet÷ you can't beat that!"