The grand opening T-shirt collectors are at it again! A Stanford (N. Calif.) mini-store commemorative T-shirt just set a new record U.S. price [link expired] of $202.50 on eBay, a $2 increase from the previous record of $200.50 for Southpoint (NC) and Chandler (Ariz.) store T-shirts during August. The two collectors apparently have most older [...]

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Feeling more than generous, I called a flower shop nearest the Regent Street (London) store to order up a congratulatory arrangement of Birds of Paradise, Orchids and Anthurim for the grand opening next month. Boom! No can do! Seems like every orchid within 10 miles is already reserved for a very specific date: November 20th. [...]

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In fact, the scaffolding is coming down for the final time between the arches of the Regent Street store building, leaving only the traditional black plywood barrier at street level. As revealed earlier, the Ted Baker store will occupy the retail space to the left of the Apple store, and now a sign declares that [...]

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Thanks to Brian for the photos of the Christiana (Del.) store grand opening, and for how Megan and Ana were first-in-line at 3:45 a.m.! Ana bought her very first Macintosh computer, a 20-inch iMac G5 model. Brian says a teacher from Pennsylvania nudged in front of him, thereby making the very first purchase at the [...]

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Last weekend I made the transition from an ancient Powermac 7600 to a G5 desktop, and it was seamless. Here’s my tale, and a testament to Apple’s operating system and software.

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Apple has posted a Retail Small/Medium-Size Business Coordinator job position on its Web site, to work out of the Cupertino headquarters, and who is, "Dedicated to fulfilling the Apple retail vision by increasing share of market through the retail small and medium business initiative." Check the list of administrative positions for the full job description.

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Thanks to Michael for the link to the video of the Christiana (Del.) grand opening–it spots the first two women in line and also found the first person to make a purchase!

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Some southern California Apple stores (OK, just one so far) has received a supply (in this case ‘two’) of 30-inch Cinema Displays. One will be…well, on display, and the other will be for sale.

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It should be obvious that this Web site doesn’t carry any advertising, and there are no plans to ever do that. On the other hand, the "PayPal Donate" link down on the left side is active for anyone to show their appreciation of the information posted here.

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I’ve posted a video of the Santa Rosa Plaza (N. Calif.) mini-store grand opening.

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The future Jordan Creek Town Center (Iowa) store is in a similar state of construction, with most interior work done, but no products or wall graphics.

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The future Danbury Fair Mall (Conn.) store is shaping up…the interior is nearly finished and furniture has arrived. However, there are no products or other items installed to indicate an imminent grand opening. Tipsters point to a mid-November opening, perhaps the day after Thanksgiving?

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I mentioned MacUpgrades as being in jeopardy from four near-by Apple retail stores, but they’re not the only reseller in the area. Bethesda Computers and Networks also has an office near the future Bethesda Row mini-store, but is geared more toward business customers.

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I don’t cover product rumors, but I can say that the press event Apple has scheduled relates to products now being delivered to its retail stores in unmarked boxes, with instructions not to display them until notified.

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The ARS Technica Web site posted some interesting commentary and photos about the mini-stores.

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The Joy of Tech cartoon features a mini-store as a backdrop.

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The Delaware News Journal has a store on the opening of the Christiana (Del.), regular-sized store. According to Sr. V-P Retail Ron Johnson, Apple has been waiting three years to open a Delaware store, which happens to be sales-tax free. The story also quotes a local Apple reseller who claims their revenues typically drop 20% [...]

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Apple’s six mini-stores opened to moderately-long lines and the usual curious crowds. The stores’ stainless steel design and back-lit interiors gave the stores a bright and inviting look. However, the self-service check-out stations are only a promise right now: only employees can use the stations until a touch-screen application is installed that includes clear instructions [...]

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Steve Jobs, Sr. V-P Retail Ron Johnson and V-P Real Estate George Blankenship showed up at the Stanford (N. Calif.) store in the afternoon. As well, several off-duty Apple employees toured the store with their families. A pizza deliveryman carried 5-6 pies into the store after 1 p.m., apparently for the staff to take a [...]

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An eBay listing for a Stanford commemorative T-shirt gives it away: not all the 500 T-shirts were handed out. Faced with the prospect of opening with a dirty floor, store staffers used scissors to cut out the Apple logo and wording from several T-shirts, and used the remaining cloth to rub out the black marks [...]

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