Calif. Store To Stay Open During Major Remodel

Construction work will begin momentarily on the San Francisco (N. Calif.) Apple store to make major space changes for both customers and employees, including the disappearance of one the few remaining theaters. Unlike the year-long SoHo (NYC) renovation, this remodel will occur at night with no intended interruption in daily operations. The store opened in February 2004 with an upstairs theater and the chain’s fourth glass staircase, and has become a destination for locals, and tourists from the U.S. and other countries. Now, construction sources and building permits indicate the high-profile store will sprout a ground-floor Briefing Room, the removal of the upstairs theater and replacement with a multi-purpose area. The ground floor will also be reorganized, with twice as many—but smaller—product display tables. The rear, ground-floor cashwrap area will reportedly be replaced with an Express Purchase counter, similar to the first one that appeared at the IFC Mall (Hong Kong) store last year. There is also the possibility that long-standing plans to reconfigure the basement will occur during this construction cycle. Permit inspections were approved just last week for work on all three levels of the store, with an estimated construction cost of $1,160,000 (permit, pdf). Last year Apple spent $285,000 to install rolling rack storage in the basement, allowing the employee break room to be expanded. But plans to increase restroom space and reconfigure the Genius rooms and administrative areas in the basement never materialized. The construction should be completed by the end of October, in time for the holiday sales season.

Bye-bye, San Francisco theater, shown in this grand opening day view. The 36 red-velvet seats were unusual at the time for a retail store—and are still a major store feature. The theater has hosted thousands of live music events, product demonstrations, author and artist talks and other events over its 8-year history.

This photo of the theater just before construction began to remove it in August 2012 shows the addition of wheelchair access for audience seating.