Montreal flagship to headline weekend of Apple store openings

[AppleInsider]

Canadians will get their first taste of a high-profile Apple retail store this weekend when the iPhone maker takes the wraps off a spacious, double-decker flagship shop in downtown Montreal. The company will also open its first store in South Carolina and its fifth in Arizona.

Apple Store Sainte-Catherine

In a little under a year, Apple has transformed a gloomy, tree obscured MENS fashion retail outlet at 1321 Ste-Catherine Ouest into a bright and airy two-story flagship shop aimed at luring shoppers passing through the heart of Montreal.

Massive glass panels framed by grey limestone serve as a giant window into the store, offering wall-to-wall street views of its interior. Inside, the store is clad in stainless steel and shoppers will find all the amenities of a typical Apple flagship shop, including a glass staircase and sprawling second-floor Genius Bar.

Apple is believed to have signed a $1.2 million annual lease on the 9,300-square-foot property, which sits just blocks from McGill University and within striking distance of Montreal's 3.6 million other residents.

However, alternations noted in AppleInsider's breaking reports (1, 2) on the flagship shop last summer suggest usable retail space will come in around 8,000 square feet when store finally opens for business on Friday at 5:00 p.m. Among those alterations were spaces cordoned off for offices, a back-end stock room, and bathroom facilities.

Apple also raised the ground floor slightly, relocated a couple of structural columns near the store's entrance, and threw down a new roof. Photos comparing the space before and after the renovations can be seen after the glamour shot, below.

Apple Store Sainte-Catherine will open in Montreal this Friday at 5:00 p.m.

Apple Store Sainte-Catherine before (left) and after (right).

Apple Store King Street & Apple Store Arrowhead

Separately, Apple will open both Apple Store King Street -- South Carolina's first -- and Apple Store Arrowhead -- Arizona's fifth -- on Saturday, July 26 at 10:00 a.m. local time.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[TheFatWookie]

Wonder when Washington, DC, the free capital of the world, will get a flaship store? I realized they have three crappy stores in the burbs, but damn...

[bloggerblog]

Originally Posted by TheFatWookie

Wonder when Washington, DC, the free capital of the world, will get a flaship store? I realized they have three crappy stores in the burbs, but damn...

You have at-least 4 in the DC metro area!
Clarendon, which is less than 10 min from DC.
Tysons Corner Mall, about 20 min from DC.
FairOaks Mall, 30 min.
And a few smaller ones here and there, like the one in Bethesda, 10 min.

Not many places that are just outside DC are considered to be "in" DC. eg, The Pentagon, Dulles Airport, and the National Cemetery. The same goes for all those Apple Stores.

[allstaruk]

Originally Posted by TheFatWookie

Wonder when Washington, DC, the free capital of the world, will get a flaship store? I realized they have three crappy stores in the burbs, but damn...

What's the 'free capital of the world'?

[Tulkas]

It will be interesting to see how those big glass windows hold up during the next Montreal riot.

[columbus]

THEY CUT DOWN THE TREES!

Whatever happened to “a greener apple!”

[cwinnipeg]

Originally Posted by columbus

THEY CUT DOWN THE TREES!

Whatever happened to “a greener apple!”

Well those trees would compromise the end-user experience...

[Marktrek]

Free capital of the world? Washington costs us a fortune.
The possible Georgetown store is being held up in the permit stage. The same idiots that thought that Georgetown wasn't good enough for the city's Metro now are saying that Apple store design isn't good enough. Yes there should be community review but Georgetown is coming off as elitist fools.

[Dan Udey]

Having lived in Montreal for years, I'd just like to say that Montrealers will also be getting their first taste of a building that hasn't been covered in street grime and pigeon crap for the last three hundred years once the Apple Store opens. It's a filthy unpleasant city, so here's to hoping that people will start to realize the value of new, stable buildings over 'classical' crumbling grimefests.

Now, when can a proper city get a flagship store? Vancouver would certainly enjoy one.

[bichenoubi]

Originally Posted by Dan Udey

It's a filthy unpleasant city, so here's to hoping that people will start to realize the value of new, stable buildings over 'classical' crumbling grimefests.

Hmmm, that's not what all tourists and stars around the world are saying.

In fact, the Apple store is nice, but I prefered the style of the old previous building.
And I'm not talking about my gripe about the lost trees. Not a good move at all !

[simont]

How dare you say Montreal is a filthy unpleasant city?!?!?

Joking...

I understand you lived here for years, Montreal has become a thriving city! With all the new developments and projects that I'm sure are minimizing Toronto's efforts to become a world class city. Maybe it's time to go back and see all the progress that have been made? New skyscrapers, high end flagships stores begin to pop here and there on Ste-Catherine... bye bye those ugly strip clubs! Plus, Montreal is a pretty safe city, and I'm sure this played a lot on the choice of the flagship store emplacement.

Remember that Montreal has everything that Apple wants: a strong student population, high tourism, a fashion shopping district... Oh, and the building that the AS occupies had been *renovated extensively*. Apple invested in a new roof, new pillars, floors... almost from scratch!

[cprail]

Speaking of the renovation, if you speak french OR you know how to click on links randomly you'll find week-by-week pictures of the extensive work done in the store on this blog:
http://www.macetmoi.com/blog/category/apple-store

[simont]

Originally Posted by cprail

Speaking of the renovation, if you speak french OR you know how to click on links randomly you'll find week-by-week pictures of the extensive work done in the store on this blog:
http://www.macetmoi.com/blog/category/apple-store

I checked this website regularly (and yes, I discovered it by a random click...). My first language is French, so sorry if my English is sometime "strange". This website was fantastic, insider looks, it was really fun to check daily. At first, I even thought the project was on the shelves at the municipal level... but no! We have a wonderful Apple Store!

[duzledwarf]

Originally Posted by columbus

THEY CUT DOWN THE TREES!

Whatever happened to “a greener apple!”

My thoughts exactly!

[paxman]

Originally Posted by bichenoubi

Hmmm, that's not what all tourists and stars around the world are saying.

In fact, the Apple store is nice, but I prefered the style of the old previous building.
And I'm not talking about my gripe about the lost trees. Not a good move at all !

How can you possibly prefer the previous building? The modern minimalist lines of the Apple store sits beautifully with the old and traditional, me thinks. The old one is classic non-desrcript nothingness.

I don't agree that Montreal is particularly filthy and disgusting, but it is crumbling. Stifling bureaucracy and no investment in infrastructure for decades has left the city badly in need of a face lift. Actually no, reconstructive surgery is what is needed. The Apple store is a breath of fresh air on St Catherine street.

[Funky Chicken]

...here in Toronto: a two-storey flagship store on Yonge Street (or Bloor or Dundas). Not some narrow space in the Eaton Centre....

[Commodus]

Originally Posted by Funky Chicken

...here in Toronto: a two-storey flagship store on Yonge Street (or Bloor or Dundas). Not some narrow space in the Eaton Centre....

You guys have three stores in Toronto (and not the GTA, Toronto specifically) already! Let some other Canadian cities like Ottawa have some!

[Pascal007]

I may not see correctly, but the store seems to open directly on the outside, with no vestibule ! If this is true, this store is going to be horribly unpleasant and cold in the winter !

[naftalim]

Congrats Montreal, mu former home town. I'de love for Vancouver to have a flagship store, but happy you have one. Anything new on St. Catherine is a good idea, although I would miss Mister Steer if that ever went by the wayside.

[Dunks]

Originally Posted by allstaruk

What's the 'free capital of the world'?

i was thinking exactly the same thing (and then i saw your post)!

[phthisic]

Originally Posted by TheFatWookie

Wonder when Washington, DC, the free capital of the world, will get a flaship store? I realized they have three crappy stores in the burbs, but damn...

I wonder if Apple plans on giving how to be rude to the customer lessons to the clerks?

[Neil Anderson]

Talk about extreme makeover. Nice!

[andrew93]

Originally Posted by TheFatWookie

Wonder when Washington, DC, the free capital of the world, will get a flaship store? I realized they have three crappy stores in the burbs, but damn...

I completely agree... I hate having to go to Pentagon, Bethesda Row or Montgomery for an Apple Store.

[Caiman Fu]

Originally Posted by Dan Udey

Having lived in Montreal for years, I'd just like to say that Montrealers will also be getting their first taste of a building that hasn't been covered in street grime and pigeon crap for the last three hundred years once the Apple Store opens. It's a filthy unpleasant city, so here's to hoping that people will start to realize the value of new, stable buildings over 'classical' crumbling grimefests.

Now, when can a proper city get a flagship store? Vancouver would certainly enjoy one.

I'm certain that Blandcouver will get a store once they decide on which heritage Starbucks they'd have to close.

I'm also certain that it will be built out the same cheap green glass as everything else that's been buit there over the last 20 years.