http://www.ifoapplestore.com/stores/partridge_creek_opening/Pages/2.html

But yea you can get the same items over at London Drugs which is on the corner of Granville and Georgia. Actually you can get to it from the mall underground too.

The store is a nice novelty though :)

One thing I noticed is there is a mall door beside the store (to the left of the security guard in the photo) that appears to be Apple’s. Someone was let out of it during the opening (a contractor perhaps) by a blue shirt employee and you could see piled floor to ceiling and as far back as I could see, on the right side of the long hallway, Canon printers so I guess it’s their temp storage.

John
aka Retrocactus on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/retrocactus/2519153658/

7:25 a.m.-Two Apple staff handed out a 14 pages one to one mini pamplet.

7:34 a.m.-The metal security grating was rolled up.

7:38 a.m.-The security grating was rolled up and down to test. The grating remained up.

7:39 a.m.-There were 28 people within the first set of barriers in front of the Apple store.

7:55 a.m.-A second line up was started around the corner of the H & M store.

8:01 a.m.-The Apple photogragher using a Canon EOS 5D had the first set of barriers moved to take pictures.
Her assistant had all photography stopped just in case the flashes would interfere with her Canon.

8:20 a.m.-There were 27 people within the first set of barriers.

8:29 a.m.-The first set of barriers was moved back to give a clear view of the whole front of the store for the photographer.

8:30 a.m.-The security grating was lowered half down.

8:55 a.m.-The security guards ordered the first line up to tighten up. Media were arriving for the 9 a.m. media preview.

9:02 a.m.-The security grating was raised completely so media photographers could take photos of the large Apple logo.

9:16 a.m.-About 50 Apple staff came from a corridor to the left side of the store to do high fives with
the people in the first line up. Apparently the second line up is out to Georgia Street now. The Apple staff stayed around half an hour to talk. The name tag is also a card holder. Many cards given out. There were three colors of T shirts for the four types of staff.

-orange-Concierge-”I know people” on the front of the T shirt.
-blue-Specialist-”I could talk about this stuff for hours”
-blue-Manager-”Our place is your place”
-purple-Genius-”Not all heroes wear capes”

9:33 a.m.-The security grating was lowered completely.

9:44 a.m.-The Apple staff go back in by the left side corridor.

9:50 a.m.-The security guards told to squeeze in. Some people in the second line up moved up to the first line up.

9:58 a.m.-The store lights and the lights to the two logos (small logo on the wall on the left side of the store) were turned off.

10:00 a.m.-In darkness Apple staff brought to the front crates of T shirt boxes to the left side of the store.

10:03 a.m.-In darkness the security grating lifted. The lights came back on. People were allowed in. Apple staff high fived the incoming crowd the length of the store. The Specialists had handheld devices made by Fujitsu for charge/debit card purchases. There was a cash register at the back Genius bar.

10:30 a.m.-The first false alarm rang for about 30 seconds before being shut off.

10:51 a.m.-I left the store (to win a pie eating contest). I would have liked to have stayed until the T shirts ran out. The second line up went outside the mall to Georgia Street. Outside Luis of the Consultants Network was handing sheets to promote his business. Luis had not gotten a T shirt.

Apple Store-Pacific Centre Opening, Sat., May 24, 2008 Photo Albums

Apple Store-Pacific Centre Opening, Sat., May 24, 2008, Part 1 7:07 a.m. to 10:04 a.m.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002909&l=8a49b&id=1210082439
Apple Store-Pacific Centre Opening, Sat., May 24, 2008, Part 2 10:04 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2002938&l=34de4&id=1210082439

I also find it interesting that in the United States all of the talk about a location is the street it is on or the Interstate that it is near. But in Canada the mention is the mass transit Granville station or the new RAV line. Hear anybody talk about The Ride near Denver’s Aspen Grove store?

Montreal will gain a huge Apple Store later this year but remember they first opened the “Carrefour Laval” shopping center store, just outside Montreal, a small-size location and a bit far to reach for montrealers. I think it’s just a matter of local/global market strategy. They open what they can if it’s available and wait for the right spot for a bigger flagship location.

When you consider where Vancouver is going in the next few years (Olympics, etc), it’s almost a guarantee that we’ll get a bigger store eventually. Either that Pacific Centre location will be expanded downstairs with an entrance on Granville street, or even a large store in Yaletown after the RAV line is finished.

For me, the Educational pricing available at the store is a bonus (I am a faculty and staff member at a local higher ed) and I occasionally work at the downtown campus, a mere 1.5 blocks away.

The store was typical Apple Mall (almost identical to the Las Vegas Fashion Mall store) and was incredibly crowded on day on - not a surprise.

Now, the store opening is a bit ironic, cause last week I finally went to the one at Southcenter in Seattle, and was a bit disappointed by the size, so I hope this one’s at least a little bigger. Looking at the mall map, it looks like it should be pretty big.

truant may be right — I can’t see the Miss Sixty slated for the spot between the Apple Store and H&M going multi-story with a street entrance, and we don’t know what’s behind the monolithic wall behind the Genius Bar. With the construction on Granville St. (i.e. the giant hole in the ground that will be the Canada Line), Apple may have opted to get the store open, with plans to expand once the streetscape clears.

As for WestWorld: I’ve never been impressed with them. On the other hand, I’ve dealt with Simply Computing a fair bit, and I doubt they’ll have any problem maintaining their (mostly business) customer base. The big thing the Apple Store brings? Visibility. The guy in front of me in line yesterday morning was a switcher-in-waiting, about to buy a MacBook rather than another Windows machine. Without an Apple Store, he might still be trying to figure out where to go.