Third NYC Apple store near ready; another set for Northern Ireland
(ifoAppleStore) All credible sources are pointing to December 7th or 8th as the opening date for Apple's flagship retail store on 14th Street in New York City, despite on-site glimpses of the interior that show substantial construction remains to be finished. Meanwhile, plans are under way for the company's first store on the island of Ireland.
Third Manhattan flagship
The large store at the corner of 9th Avenue and 14th Street in the heart of Manhattan's Meatpacking District will be spread over two levels connected by a spiral glass staircase, which is already installed.
Apple will occupy the highly-visible corner space in the store, with at least two other tenants taking up other spaces in the building. Like Apple's other stores on the island, the architecture at this location will be distinctive and won't include a stainless steel exterior. Rather, it will be mostly large framed windows and masonry.
Apple's construction team routinely works against tight deadlines and under a standard for perfection -- and rarely misses. Workers at the just-opened Chestnut Street store in San Francisco, Calif. worked 24-hours in the final days before it opened, and it's expected that will also occur at the 14th Street store.
Update: December 7th is indeed the date.
A concept rendering of the renovated retail space at 14th Street and 9th Avenue.
A floor plan showing Apple's space on 14th Street in Manhattan.
Belfast to get Apple store
Meanwhile, Apple is firming up plans to expand its European presence with a store in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The company is in the final negotiation talks with Victoria Square, a huge city center complex opening in Spring 2008 that will include retail, apartments, offices, restaurants and bars and entertainment venues.
Right now, Apple has reserved a space on the second level of the 800,000 complex. It would be the first store on the island, which ironically is already home to a substantial Apple technical support team, based in Cork (Republic of Ireland).
Apple will reportedly occupy this space at Victoria Square.
Sources say Belfast may have been selected for the island's first store based on the currency: it's part of the UK and uses the British pound, while Dublin (Republic of Ireland) uses the Euro.
Some stores stripped naked
Lastly, Apple has just completed the latest round of on-going renovations to its stores, taking out old Corian "kidney" display counters and replacing them with wood tables, converting wood floors to stone, and replacing the rear-located cash register counters with Genius Bars.
At least 10 stores were renovated in the months just prior to the holiday shopping season that began with last week's Black Friday. The conversions typically begin with with the take-down of the existing fixtures, and one of them was documented in photos by an Apple employee and posted on a flickr account.
The photos from the Oak Brook, Ill. retail store provide a rare glimpse of the store with products stripped from shelves, the display fixtures overturned, the Genius Bar LCDs screens removed from the wall, and the debris that was left behind.
After the take-down, workers constructed a plywood barricade in front of the store, which was closed from Oct. 22 to Nov. 9 while the main construction was performed.
Gary Allen is the creator and author of ifo Apple Store, which provides close watch of Apple's retail initiative. When Gary isn't busy publishing news and information on Apple's latest retail stores, he finds himself hanging out at one.
Third Manhattan flagship
The large store at the corner of 9th Avenue and 14th Street in the heart of Manhattan's Meatpacking District will be spread over two levels connected by a spiral glass staircase, which is already installed.
Apple will occupy the highly-visible corner space in the store, with at least two other tenants taking up other spaces in the building. Like Apple's other stores on the island, the architecture at this location will be distinctive and won't include a stainless steel exterior. Rather, it will be mostly large framed windows and masonry.
Apple's construction team routinely works against tight deadlines and under a standard for perfection -- and rarely misses. Workers at the just-opened Chestnut Street store in San Francisco, Calif. worked 24-hours in the final days before it opened, and it's expected that will also occur at the 14th Street store.
Update: December 7th is indeed the date.
A concept rendering of the renovated retail space at 14th Street and 9th Avenue.
A floor plan showing Apple's space on 14th Street in Manhattan.
Belfast to get Apple store
Meanwhile, Apple is firming up plans to expand its European presence with a store in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The company is in the final negotiation talks with Victoria Square, a huge city center complex opening in Spring 2008 that will include retail, apartments, offices, restaurants and bars and entertainment venues.
Right now, Apple has reserved a space on the second level of the 800,000 complex. It would be the first store on the island, which ironically is already home to a substantial Apple technical support team, based in Cork (Republic of Ireland).
Apple will reportedly occupy this space at Victoria Square.
Sources say Belfast may have been selected for the island's first store based on the currency: it's part of the UK and uses the British pound, while Dublin (Republic of Ireland) uses the Euro.
Some stores stripped naked
Lastly, Apple has just completed the latest round of on-going renovations to its stores, taking out old Corian "kidney" display counters and replacing them with wood tables, converting wood floors to stone, and replacing the rear-located cash register counters with Genius Bars.
At least 10 stores were renovated in the months just prior to the holiday shopping season that began with last week's Black Friday. The conversions typically begin with with the take-down of the existing fixtures, and one of them was documented in photos by an Apple employee and posted on a flickr account.
The photos from the Oak Brook, Ill. retail store provide a rare glimpse of the store with products stripped from shelves, the display fixtures overturned, the Genius Bar LCDs screens removed from the wall, and the debris that was left behind.
After the take-down, workers constructed a plywood barricade in front of the store, which was closed from Oct. 22 to Nov. 9 while the main construction was performed.
Gary Allen is the creator and author of ifo Apple Store, which provides close watch of Apple's retail initiative. When Gary isn't busy publishing news and information on Apple's latest retail stores, he finds himself hanging out at one.
Comments
Somehow I bet Brendan will still not be happy
IMO it was only with a store opening in Ireland (north or south) that I was gonna feel convinced that Apple was expanding into Europe, with the relatively small numbers on the island this shows real commitment from Apple, great news all round.
We'll catch up with the US yet...
Glad to see they're finally looking a store on the island but it's long over due. But still no sign of the feckin' iPhone or even a release date in the republic despite the nation having 114% mobile phone penetration - very frustrating.
OH COME ONNNNNN!
it's an Apple store IN IRELAND, thats what you've been wanting for a while now, and you've finally gotten it, and all you can do is get mad.??
Lastly, Apple has just completed the latest round of on-going renovations to its stores, taking out old Corian "kidney" display counters and replacing them with wood tables, converting wood floors to stone, and replacing the rear-located cash register counters with Genius Bars.
So here's the really stupid thing. At least in Seattle, they replaced the kids' table with the same wood tables - WITH LOW, HARD, SQUARE CORNERS!! How stupid can the designers be? Yes, they are pretty, and match the taller "adult" tables, but as anyone with kids knows (and as any retail floor designer should know), you don't put pointed corners like that where small kids hang out.
Get a clue guys, it's not a matter of if, but when, innocent little kids will get hurt. Will the matching tables be worth it?!
In the meantime, I've been told that an "Apple Shop" is opening in PC World at Sprucefield, Lisburn next week (one guy told me the 3rd, one guy told me the 7th). It will have Apple staff and provide repairs, etc.
We'll catch up with the US yet...
Haha that'll be a joke... This would be PC World, the store that didn't even have Leopard on sale at its launch? Take a wee look at their website - www.pcworld.co.uk and type in "Leopard" in the search, what's the first thing it says in the results? ...
PC World Recommends Windows Vista® Home Premium
I guess by an Apple shop they may mean they're going to keep 2 iMacs in stock instead of one
However, Can't WAIT For the Apple Store in Belfast
You wanted one in Ireland... did you tell them exactly where? They must have missed the memo.
So here's the really stupid thing. At least in Seattle, they replaced the kids' table with the same wood tables - WITH LOW, HARD, SQUARE CORNERS!! How stupid can the designers be? Yes, they are pretty, and match the taller "adult" tables, but as anyone with kids knows (and as any retail floor designer should know), you don't put pointed corners like that where small kids hang out.
Get a clue guys, it's not a matter of if, but when, innocent little kids will get hurt. Will the matching tables be worth it?!
OH THE HUMANITY
Won't someone please think of the children!!
..oh you already have.
So here's the really stupid thing. At least in Seattle, they replaced the kids' table with the same wood tables - WITH LOW, HARD, SQUARE CORNERS!! How stupid can the designers be? Yes, they are pretty, and match the taller "adult" tables, but as anyone with kids knows (and as any retail floor designer should know), you don't put pointed corners like that where small kids hang out.
Get a clue guys, it's not a matter of if, but when, innocent little kids will get hurt. Will the matching tables be worth it?!
Kids are a dime a dozen, but the cool industrial-chic look of Apple stores? Priceless.
Kids are a dime a dozen, but the cool industrial-chic look of Apple stores? Priceless.
Apparently that's the way the idiot designers feel....