First look: Brooklyn celebrates the grand opening of its first Apple Store

Posted:
in General Discussion edited August 2016
Brooklynites braved the summer heat on Saturday for the grand opening of their borough's first-ever Apple Store, in the neighborhood of Williamsburg. AppleInsider was there and provides a first look at the new retail space.


Video courtesy of AppleInsider reader Ryan of Traced, Inc.


Thousands of customers were on hand throughout the morning and early afternoon after the store opened its doors, at the corner of North 3rd Street and Bedford Avenue. The design of the store owes its flair to Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, a noted architectural firm who has worked on numerous Apple Stores, including seven in New York City.

Inside, the one-story location boasts one large, main room for Apple's principal products. iPhones are located front and center upon entering, with iPads, Macs, Apple Watches and associated accessories also in prime location.







In the back, the store features a massive video screen along with a series of movable cubes for arrangeable seating. Large archway windows allow passersby to peek in while walking through the busy neighborhood.




The store also features a smaller second room, in the back left, where it focuses on Apple TV, gaming controllers, Beats headphones, third-party HomeKit accessories and other assorted peripherals. There's also a door to the store's boardroom in the back room.

Apple celebrated the launch with thousands of free t-shirts for customers. By early afternoon, the full allotment of shirts were gone.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 36
    ronnronn Posts: 653member
    It's smaller than anticipated. It was a pretty short, congested walk from the Bedford Avenue "L" station. I can't believe this is the Williamsburg of my youth. A Whole Foods nearby, thrift stores and several fancy shops and restaurants. The hipsters (or whatever term is used for them nowadays) are in heaven.

    Really hope Apple opens another location in downtown Brooklyn soon as I couldn't justify going out of my way to get here.
    cali
  • Reply 2 of 36
    applesauce007applesauce007 Posts: 1,698member
    Awesome!  Another NYC distribution point for iPhone 7.
    Brooklynites no longer have to go to Manhattan, Queens or Long Island anymore.
    Brooklyn should have two stores at least.
    ai46magman1979
  • Reply 3 of 36
    What a disappointment, this has got to be one of the ugliest stores I've ever seen from Apple. I live in Brooklyn and have been waiting for a store for a long time. It doesn't make it exciting to go here it looks like some kind a thrift store.
  • Reply 4 of 36
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    larrystar said:
    What a disappointment, this has got to be one of the ugliest stores I've ever seen from Apple. I live in Brooklyn and have been waiting for a store for a long time. It doesn't make it exciting to go here it looks like some kind a thrift store.
    Huh? They've basically brought the concepts from their SF store minus the trees and plus exposed brick.
    baconstangronnjony0
  • Reply 5 of 36
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Anything that makes hipsters less likely to venture outside of Brooklyn is a good thing, so two thumbs up for this new Apple store! :#

    The outside does look like an abandoned warehouse, so I agree with the other comments saying that it is not that attractive for an Apple store.
  • Reply 6 of 36
    netroxnetrox Posts: 1,418member
    That building looks so un-Apple. Apple is known to be light, clean, minimalistic and free of clutter.
  • Reply 7 of 36
    mejsricmejsric Posts: 152member
    netrox said:
    That building looks so un-Apple. Apple is known to be light, clean, minimalistic and free of clutter.
    its so Brooklyn
    baconstangai46jony0
  • Reply 8 of 36
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    From the photos, the exterior is not all that different than the Chelsea store in Manhattan (they're both brick buildings), so I don't know what all the complaints are about.   But I think they should have removed the brick and put in glass in those two areas on the North 3rd street side of the store.  Besides, Apple stores should fit in with the character of any neighborhood and this one does. 

    Frankly, I don't see why anyone still gets excited about Apple store interiors:  concrete floors, parsons tables, lit wall units.   I really don't see this as such a big deal, even if no other retailer was able to successfully copy it.   And in most of the Apple stores that I've been in, because there are no soft surfaces, the noise levels are intolerable.   When Siri first came out, I couldn't get it to work in the store at all because there was so much noise.    It's nice that they opened a store in Williamsburg, but my bet is that 90% of the customers work in Manhattan and aren't very far from an Apple store there anyway.   

    But I also agree that Brooklyn is large (71 square miles) and populous enough (2.637 million in 2015) that they need at least one more store.   The former Brooklyn Borough President found space for Apple near Borough Hall, but Apple never took him up on the deal.  I think Apple thought that particular block was still a bit too sleazy.    But there's a new development called City Point in downtown Brooklyn opening by the end of the summer that's going to house an Alamo Drafthouse movie theatre,  a Katz's deli, an upscale food hall (supposedly with vendors from the Smorgasburg weekly food festival in Williamsburg) along with more traditional mall stores (like Target, Century 21 and Trader Joe's) and that would have been a good place for Apple as well.   Surprised they didn't elect to go in there or if they wanted to be in more of a neighborhood, on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights or on Fifth or Seventh Avenue in Park Slope.  
    pscooter63ronn
  • Reply 9 of 36
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member
    So St. Ann's Warehouse is ugly? Many disagree. Not everything must be a glass cube. 

    http://stannswarehouse.org
    edited July 2016 baconstangpscooter63ai46jony0
  • Reply 10 of 36
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    I find it hard to believe Brooklyn now only got its first Apple Store.
  • Reply 11 of 36
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    ronn said:

    Really hope Apple opens another location in downtown Brooklyn soon as I couldn't justify going out of my way to get here.
    Try no Apple Store in your country.
  • Reply 12 of 36
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    netrox said:
    That building looks so un-Apple. Apple is known to be light, clean, minimalistic and free of clutter.
    Yes but it is so Brooklyn. I guess that's the point. If you look around the world you'll notice a pattern of Apple Stores often being of the place.
    clemynxbaconstangpscooter63
  • Reply 13 of 36
    larrystar said:
    What a disappointment, this has got to be one of the ugliest stores I've ever seen from Apple. I live in Brooklyn and have been waiting for a store for a long time. It doesn't make it exciting to go here it looks like some kind a thrift store.
    Are you sure you live in Brooklyn?
    jfc1138clemynxai46
  • Reply 14 of 36
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    I think the stores should match the neighborhood they're going into. This store is very Brooklyn, imo. image
    edited July 2016 supadav03mejsricjakebbaconstangmagman1979Rayz2016stshockleyzoetmb
  • Reply 15 of 36
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member
    Awful place full of hipsters. I saw that one of the personnel wears a hat. Just like last time I went to a Starbucks in Brooklyn and every single person working there was wearing one. As if they are forced to wear them. Awful. 
  • Reply 16 of 36
    jlanddjlandd Posts: 873member
    I think the stores should match the neighborhood they're going into. This store is very Brooklyn, imo.
    I think that's the key. It's not a glass dome-like neighborhood. Apple I'm sure has a goal to make it work with the surroundings rather than blast them apart. Plus, most of the pictures I've seen have been pretty unflattering ones of the least nice looking side. Plus it wasn't a good day for pics weather-wise. The picture in rogifan_new's post is a better representation of what it looks like. It ain't bad. As mentioned, it is a bit like other NYC stores, especially 14th St. Which is still easier for me to get to, as a Brooklyner nearer to the Brooklyn Bridge than the Williamsburg. Really this store is to serve the immediate neighborhood and people driving in on the BQE from further out. It's not a big breakthrough for Brooklyn in general. For 90% of the borough Williamsburg is a bigger pain in the ass to get to than just going into Manhattan.
    jakebronn
  • Reply 17 of 36
    jakebjakeb Posts: 562member
    Walked by on my way home. It looks amazing. The exterior fits the neighborhood perfectly, but the inside is the updated Apple Store layout with wood shelving and giant video wall. Honestly, the interior is a big step up from either the Soho or 5th avenue stores. Makes me wonder when they'll update the flagships to the new design. 

    clemynx said:
    Awful place full of hipsters. I saw that one of the personnel wears a hat. Just like last time I went to a Starbucks in Brooklyn and every single person working there was wearing one. As if they are forced to wear them. Awful. 
    How awful, I'm sorry you had to see a hat. What is the world coming to? :)

    ai46jfc1138magman1979calizoetmb
  • Reply 18 of 36
    rogifan_newrogifan_new Posts: 4,297member
    jakeb said:
    Walked by on my way home. It looks amazing. The exterior fits the neighborhood perfectly, but the inside is the updated Apple Store layout with wood shelving and giant video wall. Honestly, the interior is a big step up from either the Soho or 5th avenue stores. Makes me wonder when they'll update the flagships to the new design. 
    Yeah the stores near me all have the old silver design which really looks dated. I can't wait for them to be updated. But since all but one are in shopping malls my guess is they'll be some of the last to get redesigned.
  • Reply 19 of 36
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,702member
    larrystar said:
    What a disappointment, this has got to be one of the ugliest stores I've ever seen from Apple. I live in Brooklyn and have been waiting for a store for a long time. It doesn't make it exciting to go here it looks like some kind a thrift store.
    Have to agree. 

    Though the the bottom half of the store is typical Apple, they really neglected the ceiling and lighting. That part looks like poop. 

    Hopefully they address that. 

    The details matter and it definitely lost that special feeling by not taking care of that. Should have not pinched too many pennies. 
    cali
  • Reply 20 of 36
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 2,702member
    mejsric said:
    netrox said:
    That building looks so un-Apple. Apple is known to be light, clean, minimalistic and free of clutter.
    its so Brooklyn
    So is everything else in Brooklyn. 

    Apple let has its own look and feel. If it just blends in, it's lost it's way. 
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