Andrew Orr
The first retail store that Apple opened, Apple Tysons Corner, is moving down the hall to a much larger location.
After 22 years, Apple is developing a completely new location at Tysons Corner to sell the iPhone and other products. The company announced it over the weekend on the temporary facade of the new space, as discovered by Michael Steeber.
The first-ever @Apple store opened 22 years ago here at Tysons Corner Center! Apple now begins their next chapter with us, with a newly-reimagined space coming soon. We feel proud to be a part of their story. pic.twitter.com/hiwiWBM1vs
— Tysons Corner Center (@ShopTysons) April 30, 2023
"The first-ever Apple Store opened 22 years ago here at Tysons Corner," a message on the store's wall says. "Soon we look forward to welcoming you to this newly reimagined space."
"Thank you for being part of our story," it continues. "Here's to the next chapter."
The store will remain inside Tysons Corner Center, and the new location will be on the upper level between Nespresso and Victoria's Secret. Tysons Corner Center is a vast mall in Northern Virginia inside the Washington DC metro area, with hundreds of stores and restaurants, including one of the original Apple Stores it opened in 2001.
There are several vacant stores between the location for the Apple Store and the outside of the mall. It isn't yet clear if Apple is absorbing those locations.
"This is our store," Steve Jobs said as he introduced the Apple Store on May 15, 2001, in a video launch. The store opened on May 19 and significantly impacted how customers purchased Apple hardware and received product support, as well as permanently changing the landscape of physical retail.
An app created in 2022 offers a virtual walk through four historic Apple Stores, including Apple Tysons. On the site, users can virtually navigate the stores and view forgotten features, as well as rows of software boxes. Additionally, people can hear snippets of Steve Jobs speaking as they move through the stores.
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13 Comments
I thought I read that a second store also opened up on the same day at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California.
The first Apple Store was supposed to be Palo Alto but city permitting and construction delays pushed it to third retail opening. Apple Palo Alto was Steve's store, he often showed up there for iPhone launches, etc. and frequently dined at nearby restaurants.
Apple Palo Alto moved from its original opening location (the music store building) a block away to its current location (the former Z Gallerie).
I still think of the original Apple Palo Alto as the original Apple retail store even though it opened its doors after two others had launched. When Steve died, it was still at the original location, the tributes outside this store were jaw dropping.
I lived in Bethesda, MD when it opened. Tyson was the primo mall at the time and was an excellent choice for Apple. I was a PC guy at the time, so I blew it off - silly man. But I also remember how the stores rose and spread, and how impressed with their layouts I became. Today I look forward to visiting the stores here in Miami any chance I get just to hang out… oh, and to mock the Microsoft (and few Samsung) stores as well.
I was the first customer to walk through the doors at the original Apple Store @ Saddle Creek in Germantown, TN.
Drove 150 miles from my home in Heber Springs, Arkansas!
Still have 2 t-shirts that came in clear plastic tubes.