MacMall giving away $14K in products during launch of first Chicago retail store

Defying a trend that has long seen independent Apple resellers shutter their shops in the face of stiff competition from the Mac maker's own thriving retail operation, MacMall this weekend will continue with a rare expansion of its retail footprint with the launch of its first brick-and-mortar retail store outside Southern California.

The El Segundo, Calif.-based Apple Authorized Reseller and AppleInsider sponsor said Monday that the grand opening of its new store at 329 W. Grand Ave. in Chicago, Illinois will kick-off on Saturday, March 31 with a 10 a.m. ribbon cutting and raffle drawings for over $7,000 in technology products.

The first 500 people to visit the 7,000-square-foot store following its 9:00 a.m. opening will be entered into a drawing to win one of over 20 Apple-related products, including a new MacBook Air at 10:00am, followed by additional drawings throughout the day for a Wacom Intuos5 tablet, five Apple TVs, two iPod touch players, three iPod nanos, and an HP Officejet printer, among other items.

Additionally, MacMall says the first 100 people in line will receive a free limited edition T-shirt, while the first 200 who make a purchase will receive a free gift bag. The first 1,000 customers will also receive a limited edition MacMall 2-in-1 Stylus.

In addition to the grand opening on March 31st, the new Chicago store will feature separate drawings for an additional $7,000 worth of merchandise targeted at businesses customers. Those raffles will take place between March 26 and March 30, awarding three high-demand technology products each day to businesses. Those items will include a Wacom Intuos5 tablets, HP Folio notebooks, TouchSmart PCs and Slate tablets, and HP Top Shot printers.

Located less than 3 blocks from Chicago's 4-million square foot Merchandise Mart landmark, the new shop will join three existing stores in Southern California. Each feature free daily seminars 7 days a week and are staffed with in-house technical experts who provide on-site Apple Authorized Service on both in- and out-of-warranty Apple products.

MacMall, which vows to honor online pricing in each of its physical stores, says it plans to work in concert with Apple to continue its retail expansion going forward. The 27-year-old Apple reseller is actively seeking new storefronts in both Southern California and Chicago, in attention to scouting for its first potential location in New York City.