Apple opens Upper East Side NYC store with unique design elements, including VIP bank vault

Posted:
in General Discussion edited June 2015
Apple's somewhat controversial new store on Manhattan's tony Upper East Side opened for business this weekend, and photos of the remodeled bank reveal a number of one-off design flourishes including a dedicated Beats display wall and a bank vault-turned-VIP room.


Thanks to AppleInsider reader Ryan from Traced Inc.


Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts was on hand for the store's grand opening on Saturday, where residents of the affluent neighborhood got their first look at what turned out to be a unique addition to the company's retail empire. The new location --?housed in a 93-year-old former bank at the corner of East 74th Street and Madison Avenue --?looks more like a boutique than an electronics store.

In one interesting choice, an inset wall with a number of round, wooden "heads" hold a display of Beats headphones that is the first of its kind. Each pair of headphones is connected to an iPhone and available for customers to try.




Another detail that harkens back to the building's history is a wall of phone cases, with a single case of each type displayed on a protruding wooden plank that also functions as a handle. Pulling on the handle reveals a drawer with cases for sale in slots behind the drawer --?a design element apparently meant to evoke a wall of safe deposit boxes.




Downstairs, the old bank vault has been left in place and converted into a VIP room with couches, a large television, and laptops and iPhones displayed along the wall. The vault will reportedly be used to host Apple Watch Edition try-on appointments.







While many area residents were opposed the idea of the new store, Apple has made a number of concessions to help its latest outlet blend in. The company brought back its personal shopping service to cater to the new location's more upscale clientele, scaled back its usually brightly-lit exterior signage, and introduced shorter opening hours.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 32

    One thing that's always puzzled me is as far as Wall Street is concerned, Apple's retail stores count for zero in value.  I would think that's a pretty unique value that Apple has in terms of property value and customer loyalty.  Oh, well.  I suppose only certain things matter to investors and Apple's hundreds of global retail stores aren't one of them.  Originally it was thought Apple's retail venture would be a huge failure and yet it has come quite far to be considered an anchor for Apple.  It would be almost impossible for any other tech company to duplicate in scale but is seemingly overlooked as being of any value.  I think they're a lot of fun to visit and play around with the devices that always work.  Apple has done such a fine job with its retail stores but they're hardly ever mentioned as being a key to Apple's success.

  • Reply 2 of 32
    One thing that's always puzzled me is as far as Wall Street is concerned, Apple's retail stores count for zero in value.  I would think that's a pretty unique value that Apple has in terms of property value and customer loyalty.  Oh, well.  I suppose only certain things matter to investors and Apple's hundreds of global retail stores aren't one of them.  Originally it was thought Apple's retail venture would be a huge failure and yet it has come quite far to be considered an anchor for Apple.  It would be almost impossible for any other tech company to duplicate in scale but is seemingly overlooked as being of any value.  I think they're a lot of fun to visit and play around with the devices that always work.  Apple has done such a fine job with its retail stores but they're hardly ever mentioned as being a key to Apple's success.

    Where on earth are you getting this opinion from? Because it's wildly inaccurate.
  • Reply 3 of 32
    swissmac2swissmac2 Posts: 216member
    I don't think either of you can really know if it's included or not for sure, or what valuation it holds. But I should think woodycurmudgen is closer to the truth than steffen jobbs on the basis that if it exists the market has priced it in.
    The market's problem is over-reaction to good or bad news. Sadly this includes analyst statements... and we all know how ridiculous these can be.
  • Reply 4 of 32
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Where on earth are you getting this opinion from? Because it's wildly inaccurate.

    Well I know there was one Wall Street site (I think it was Seeking Alpha) that called Jony Ive's promotion a demotion in part because some of his expanded job duties involved the look and feel of Apple stores and they didn't think Apple stores were important. So I do think the sentiment is out there in some circles.
  • Reply 5 of 32
    Typical Apple and their attention to detail.

    Speaking of bank vaults, I dated a girl in university who lived in an old bank and put her bedroom in the vault.
  • Reply 6 of 32
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    Speaking of bank vaults, I dated a girl in university who lived in an old bank and put her bedroom in the vault.

    No F'n way!!!!

    Freaking AWESOME!!!!!!
  • Reply 7 of 32
    What made this controversial?
  • Reply 8 of 32
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    What made this controversial?
    The neighborhood. Some residents felt an Apple store was out-of-place
  • Reply 9 of 32
    analogjackanalogjack Posts: 1,073member

    Pure class. 

  • Reply 10 of 32
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cali View Post





    No F'n way!!!!



    Freaking AWESOME!!!!!!

     

    Her dad owned a bunch of real estate including a very old bank (old as in built in 1920 something). He basically sat on the property until he could develop it, and she lived in the bank for a couple years.

     

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gatorguy View Post



    The neighborhood. Some residents felt an Apple store was out-of-place

     

    This brings me endless joy. Where I live seems to be the "nimby" capital of the world opposing anything and everything someone wants to build. There have been a few projects here that went ahead anyway, and it was great seeing these people with an overblown sense of entitlement end up on the losing side.

     

    I can at least see the reasoning for people opposing having controversial things in their neighborhood (homeless shelters, halfway houses, drug rehab facilities), but an Apple Store?

     

     

    I had a good laugh a few weeks ago. Here in Vancouver the railway company (CP Rail) owns a strip of land their track runs on, and it happens to go right by some very expensive neighborhoods. People always set up gardens on this land, even though they know it's not theirs to use. And every once in awhile, CP Rail comes along with their equipment and plows it under or removes structures people have illegally erected. What's funny is seeing the protestors and others come out to complain when this happens, as if they have a RIGHT to use this land.

     

    Even funnier is seeing their blood pressure go through the roof when CP Rail ignores the fence and structures that our company has put on the very same land. It was very satisfying to tell a couple of these raving idiots that we actually purchased the land behind our building from CP Rail many years ago, and we have a legal right to use it. Then suggesting that they also make a deal with CP Rail to buy the land behind them, if they wish to use it.

     

    This last part is what really gets to them. There are a LOT of $2 million plus houses along this rail corridor. And these people are actually expecting the City of Vancouver to purchase the land from CP Rail and turn it into a bike corridor/park for them to use. If you suggest that they all get together and make an offer to buy the land (and possibly add it to their own backyards) they get all up in arms.

     

    /rant

  • Reply 11 of 32
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    There's a Trader Joes in an old Bank in downtown Brooklyn. Very incongruous. I believe they keep the Pirate Booty in the bank vault.
  • Reply 12 of 32
    realisticrealistic Posts: 1,154member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post



    Typical Apple and their attention to detail.



    Speaking of bank vaults, I dated a girl in university who lived in an old bank and put her bedroom in the vault.



    Talk about taking safe sex literally.

  • Reply 13 of 32
    If this new store is finally open is this mean the neighborhood finally accepted it?
  • Reply 14 of 32
    danielswdanielsw Posts: 906member

    Looks like there was a decent turnout.

     

    I think the neighborhood will soon appreciate having its own Apple Store.

  • Reply 15 of 32
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by josephwinters View Post



    What made this controversial?

    In my experience some New Yorkers can be the most awful snobs. In the early 1980's I had a posting to NYC and found an apartment but had to go through residents vetting. We failed because we admitted that we were trying to start a family. The 'committee' didn't tell us directly why we'd failed their vetting but their collective faces when my wife said that told us everything. Pure snobs of the worst kind.

    In the end we stayed in the city less than 3 months. The full on city life was not for us.

  • Reply 16 of 32
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    A big middle finger to the Upper East Side who think they are somehow better than anyone else. Fk the one percenters!
  • Reply 17 of 32
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member

    That vault door is quite impressive.

  • Reply 18 of 32
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Typical Apple and their attention to detail.

    Speaking of bank vaults, I dated a girl in university who lived in an old bank and put her bedroom in the vault.

    I assume you made a lot of

    deposits.
  • Reply 19 of 32
    thrangthrang Posts: 1,007member
    quadra 610 wrote: »
    I assume you made a lot of

    deposits.

    Welll depending upon the instigator, she could have made a lot of withdrawals...
  • Reply 20 of 32
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    realistic wrote: »
    Typical Apple and their attention to detail.


    Speaking of bank vaults, I dated a girl in university who lived in an old bank and put her bedroom in the vault.


    Talk about taking safe sex literally.

    And night deposits. :lol:
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