An Apple Store Grows in Brooklyn

Last week Racked reported that there's word of an Apple store opening in Brooklyn. The question is, which neighborhood will iNvite them in. Dumbo NYC reports that Two Trees has reached out to Apple in the past, but they "weren’t ready". If they're ready now, their options in Dumbo would include the 6600 sq.ft space at 70 Washington Street and the 6700 sq.ft space across the street at Washington and Front Street.

Racked had a few other ideas, narrowing it down to five areas and placing some odds on them. Red Hook: 25-1, Smith Street: 15-1, Dumbo: 10-1, Downtown Brooklyn: 4-1, Williamsburg: "3-1, in our wildest dreams." We agree that there would need to be serious foot traffic in whatever area Apple decides to land, taking Red Hook out of the running. While Dumbo is a great match, the more boring locale of Downtown Brooklyn seems to be the sensible choice.

Perhaps they aren't so sensible though, The NY Times has a story that questions whether the company blew a huge opportunity to increase market share by shunning retail chains in favor of its own stores. Apple began working with Best Buy in spring 2006 "on a pilot project to obtain shelf space for Macs. Given Apple’s long, tempestuous history with many retail chains, restoring trust has been tough. The six-store pilot with Best Buy was expanded to 50 stores by the end of 2006. There are now 200 stores, with plans to expand to 300 this fall. Best Buy, however, has not yet agreed to place the Mac in all 872 stores. If Apple had begun wooing Best Buy two years ago, and perhaps appointed an ambassador to look after the relationships with the chain and other resellers, the Mac would have been much better off."

Half the fun is going to the Apple store anyway, and this never happened when a new Best Buy opened. As for Brooklyn, we can't help but think the new Trader Joe's space on Court and Atlantic would have been perfect for this.

UPDATE: Our sources tell us the Apple Store is going to be on Atlantic near Clinton. Unsubstantiated!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment, News on September 17, 2007 11:41 AM

Comments [rss]

guest

i'm not a big fan of apple myself (bad experience with a couple defective ipods) but i think the store will attract ppl from all over the city who want to avoid the over-crowded manhattan stores to bklyn where they can spend their money at local restaurants and shops here as well.

guest

Two Lemons of Macs in two years. I've used mac for 17 years, and they are only getting worse and worse. It is criminal the crappy computers they are selling these days, and they REFUSE to return, properly fix, or admit to the crap they are turning out.

Steve Jobs should have a class action lawsuit against him.

To my wits end with Mc CRAP!

guest

Hi guys. My name is Dana Hemphill and I am the Aplle Northeastern Representative for Retail Sales. I work the stores along the eastern seaboard all the way down to our stores in North Carolina. We are currently in negotiation to open our 1st retail location in Brooklyn, NY on Atlantic Avenue, not far from Court Street. I am not located in NYC, but hopefully our store should up and running by the second quarter of 2008.

Hope to see you all there soon. Thanks!

guest

Well, as someone who lives near Atlantic and Clinton -- geez. What a waste. A destination store that will hardly ever be used by people in the neighborhood. Couldn't we dump it in New Jersey, or something?

guest

#25: huh? Atlantic runs east-west.

Leon Freilich

SEEDS OF A RUMOR

Is Apple coming to Washington Street,

Dumbo?

You asked, so here's my considered reply:

Dunno.

guest

"The least you could do is go to a local market rather than drive to the next vanilla box retailers that are sprouting up all over Brooklyn."

Yeah, I always buy computers and peripherals at Farmers' Markets.

guest

Tekserve's employees tend to be quite surly.

Kevin Bracken

Atlantic Ave? Booooooring!

Willy-B would be the obvious choice: go where the mac user community already exists.

guest

national chains also found in the suburbs of the midwest.

Who knew the Midwest Hater would try to work in magic in a thread about Apple Stores? And we know there are plenty of Suburb Haters here as well.

Apple and Trader Joe's are from California. Starbucks is from Seattle. And all are publicly traded companies that need to keep growing to satisfy Wall Street. So blame the coasts for your problem.

guest

of course it's on atlantic, everything is on the atlantic. The atlantic is the 8 mile of brooklyn. To the west is the whites and the east the blacks except for williamsburgh.

guest

23, that space (the sail makers building) is going to be an Urban Outfitters.

guest

Hmm... maybe the first floor of 164-168 Atlantic (sail makers building)? probably the only large vacant retail space near that intersection. I think I read that the upper floors are Two Trees luxury condos, so that kind of fits.

guest

i find it rather nauseating how welcoming people are to these chain stores that are cool with brooklyn's new bourgeiosie. Apple, ikea, trade joe's, whole foods, starbucks, etc...I mean, I thought these people thought themselves as being better than the suburbs, but all of these stores are national chains also found in the suburbs of the midwest. Really boring, people. The least you could do is go to a local market rather than drive to the next vanilla box retailers that are sprouting up all over Brooklyn.

guest

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS

guest

Two Trees is building a new residential building next to the Trader Joes, with retail on the ground floor. Perhaps there?

JRod5417

Atlantic and Clinton would be a perfect location. Problem solved. Now I can get my hummus at Sahadi's, veggies at Trader Joes and a new I-Pod all on one block. God bless this country!