photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph AT&T employees work inside the new store at 8922 S. Broadway in the Village at Cumberland Park Thursday.

Keith Ables has a passion for technology and helping people.

When asked what he has enjoyed about working for AT&T for the past 10 years, he said, “Look around. This is a great reason to be here.”

Ables, 40, of Tyler, is area manager for AT&T, and manages two stores in Tyler, two in Longview and one in Lufkin. On Thursday, he proudly showed off Tyler’s newest store, which is one of a handful in Texas using the company’s new design.

“This is among the first stores of this design,” Ables said, adding that it was the first in East Texas. “It really came together well. We’re happy with it.”

When customers walk into the larger, 5,000-square-foot store, it doesn’t immediately hit them that they are in a wireless store, Ables said. The design, which took two years to research, was built so customers can experience their technology and see how it benefits them.

It has a hands-on theme throughout, encouraging customers to interact with the products.

The “music pavilion” is a space where people can try out the different kinds of speakers designed for smartphones.

“They can listen to the speakers and actually get their hands on them. … We want you to hear it before you buy it,” Ables said.

Community tables are designed for customers to interact with different products in their intended ecosystems, Ables said. It includes products like the Samsung Galaxy S5 phone and the coordinating Samsung Gear 2 Neo smartwatch so customers can see how it could make a positive impact on their lives, he said.

The “explorer wall” is lined with the different kinds of smartphones and coordinating accessories, all color coded to make it easier to identify.

“We consider it the remote control for your life,” Ables said of smartphones, adding that they have just about anything a customer could be looking for.

The new store also has a health and fitness section with things such as Fit Bits and Jawbones that correspond with smartphones. “We encourage people to live a healthier life,” Ables said, adding that the health products have really become popular in the last year.

They also offer an Audiovox car connection kit, which works with almost any car, and allows the owners to monitor such things as their teenager’s driving, fuel consumption and when maintenance is needed. “It’s a great way to stay connected with your car,” Ables said.

One of the unique things about the new store is the “education center,” made up of chairs and tables in the center of the store. Ables said it is a place where employees and customers can sit side-by-side for “more personal interaction.” There is also another, small area of tables and chairs that offer more privacy.

There is a dedicated iPad and iPhone section for people to get their hands on the latest devices, Ables said, as well as a couch and 70-inch HD television so customers can experience Direct TV firsthand. He said AT&T partners with Direct TV to offer its services.

“You can experience what Direct TV will be like in your living room” with the display, he said.

All of the signs in the store are digital, there are no cash registers and receipts are preferably emailed to customers to save paper, Ables said, adding that they also allow people to trade in and recycle their phones there.

He said the store is the first of its kind in East Texas but as AT&T opens new stores or remodels current ones, they will be similar to it.

The store opened in mid-December in The Village at Cumberland Park retail center. “The reception has been fantastic,” Ables said.

With all of the traffic along South Broadway Avenue and Loop 49 and the other retailers opening in the center, he said it makes sense for them to be there. As more stores open in the center, they expect a continual increase in traffic.

“But we’ve been very happy with the traffic we’ve seen so far,” he added.