Best Buy has opened two concept retail stores designed by ESI Design Co., and both are small, 3,500 to 5,000 s.f. locations that cater to a very specific demographic slice. The store in Naperville (Ill.) is called "Studio D," is filled with photo, mp3 and computer gear, looks like a boutique, and is targeted at women. The store in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood is called "Escape," features a glass and metal interior, and targets tech-saavy men and women. A Wall Street Journal story about the stores says the stores, "encourage hours-long visits, emphasize training and other services." Both store designs are meant to work in conjunction with the larger, nearby Best Buy locations. Perhaps tellingly, ESI’s president Edwin Schlossberg told the WSJ the stores are where, "you could expect to bump into friends rather than a place with every single variety of digital camera." You can bet Apple’s retail team has made visits to both of these stores.

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