After three years of whispers about expanding or moving the Third Street Promenade (S. Calif.) retail store, plans have surfaced for a new store two blocks away that would be a twin of the Upper West Side (NYC) store. As first reported by LA Curbed, the Santa Monica Planning Commission will consider a proposal tomorrow from a holding company who purchased the building at 1415 Third Street last September. The owner wants to demolish the existing three-story building that was formerly a Borders bookstore, and construct a “one story retail business,” according to the building permit application. Typically, neither the application submitted on April 28th nor the renderings mention Apple. But the project description and the building appearance leave no doubt who will occupy the space. The Third Street Promenade store opened along the busy pedestrian mall in this seaside city in July 2003, and is one of the chain’s busiest locations. The existing store is a single level, 45-foot wide space with less than 7,500 square-feet. The new store would have a 75-foot wide storefront with about 8,000 square-feet of public retail space, all under a 34-foot tall arched glass roof. Another 5,210 square-feet would be within a partial basement used for back-of-house operations.
The building owner, Blatteis & Schnur , Inc., circulated a promotional brochure (pdf) after purchasing the building, calling it a “premier flagship retail opportunity” along “the strongest block and strongest street within the core shopping district.” They purchased the building for more than $26 million in September 2010, according to press accounts. Blatteis & Schnur was apparently prompted to buy after a $265 million renovation of the Santa Monica Place shopping mall, just a block south. The brochure states the average household income within five miles is $106,012, about double the average for the other Apple stores. At the time, the company said it was planning a “dramatic renovation” of the building with 10,750 square-feet on each of three floors, with a 75’8″ storefront.
At one time the building at 1415 included a passageway from Third Street through to the rear alley, which accesses several public parking structures. The passageway is among about 10 along the promenade that allow shoppers to park near their destination, and to then quickly walk onto Third Street. The previous owner applied to have the passageway removed from within the building, and relocated to the south, outside the building. Apple’s proposal does not include a pedestrian passageway.
Download (pdf) the city staff report on the proposed project setting out the project specifics, the applicable permit regulations, and conditions on an approve permit. Also, view large versions of the renderings.
This view clearly shows the Upper West Side store architecture is being re-used for this new Santa Monica store. A back-lit Apple logo would be suspended from the roof at the front of the store, behind the front window glass.
The aerial view shows the stone walls framing the glass roof, squared-up with the sidewalk—the Upper West Side store is set at an angle, with the left wall set back from the right wall.
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This is good news for Apple, but very sad news for Borders Bookstore which is currently at this location. That is a FANTASTIC 3-story bookstore with one of the largest selections of books in all of Los Angeles, and it is the ONLY bookstore located anywhere near that location. Very very sad. All the bookstores are going out of business. I used to spend hours & hours there at a time.
Given that said book store and company are over and done and has been closed for ages, at least the space would be used for something.
That said, there are other Apple stores in the area that are way more in need of expansion. Hell the one in Sherman Oaks is a daily, almost hourly, fire code violation. They would probably go nuts for half the space of the Third Street store and a third the theatre space (they shove their workshop in a noisy speck of space in the midst of the all the crowd and noise.
The Century City store is just as bad.
Not a real shock that cheap bastards Westfield (who own both malls) aren’t jumping over hoops to get the stores in bigger spaces. Especially Sherman Oaks which has no movie theatre etc to bring in people. The Apple Store there is THE draw.
“I used to spend hours & hours there at a time.”
too bad you, and others, didn’t spend $ and $ there as well. I see people hanging out for hours at the Barnes & Noble by my office, most don’t buy a thing.
There is no Borders Bookstore on the Promenade. This is old information.
Sorry…should have said it was the existing three-story building, but “former” Borders bookstore. I’ll edit that sentence to clarify.
“Typically, neither the building permit application nor the renderings mention Apple. But the project description and the building appearance leave no doubt who will occupy the space.”
It could be for one of those counterfeit Apple stores.
So is this store in addition to or instead of the Third Street Promenade store? Either way, one of my favorite stores to look at is the one in Upper West Side. I’m glad they’re using the same style as that store. I didn’t know the Third Street store was one of their busiest locations.
Scott, you are thinking of the barnes and noble and still alive, on the other side of the Promenade.
The store above has not been Borders for years. They closed this location long ago and this building currently sells discount clothing.
That ceiling is going to be a pain to clean.
Glass Ceiling
I once worked at a store with a glass ceiling over the entrance way. As the store had a Southern exposure, Customer Service at the front was always in direct sunshine. The computer screens were always washed out. It was almost impossible for them to do their jobs. They cut cardboard boxes to place around the monitors but it still wasn’t enough. Reflected light still made it a bad situation. Finally they went with tent coverings under the skylight. But still with the light through the front doors it made them keep the monitor hoods. By the way, the roof glass was blue, not clear. There were also glass awnings over the entrance area. It would rain, then wind would blown dirt on to it, then when it dried it looked like hell. Apple seems to be cleaning everyday.
Of course monitor screens are much better now and Apple employees can check out, or return product at different locations and angles. But how would you like to work or shop in direct sunlight all day long? The New York store has tall buildings around it and they don’t have that problem.
Will Apple close the current store once the new store opens? Or will they keep both stores open like they did in Glendale with the store at the Glendale Galleria and The Americana at Brand? It’s certainly possible. The current store is generally packed (to the point where everyone evades your personal space) despite its location further down the promenade, with a greater walking distance to the Santa Monica Place and the Santa Monica Pier. If Apple thinks both stores will do well, then they may leave both of them open! After all, there is plenty of foot traffic on the Third Street Promenade on any given day.
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