During what must be the quietest sales period of the year, Apple has scheduled renovations for at least six stores from Colorado, to Texas, to New Jersey. The stores’ busiest periods are between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the post-holiday period, the end of summer that signals back-to-school, and the summer itself, filled with students and Apple Camp participants. The renovations are variously scheduled during March 16rd through April 3rd, and seem to be focused on two changes: updating the stores that still have black-paneled furniture, theaters, and wood floors, and those stores with a check-out counter at the back. The stores are: Chandler Fashion Center (Ariz., store #14), Cherry Creek (Denver, #50), Tice’s Corner (NJ, #22), Crabtree Valley Mall (NC, #152), Willow Bend (Tex., #3), and Clarendon (Virg., #23).
Update: Additional stores will also be remodeled, including the Washington Square (Ore.) store, which received an earlier remodel to remove the rear cashwrap, move the Genius Bar and put in a Personal Training counter.
Here are examples of the current stores, and the features that will likely be changed.
Although the flooring, tables and other fixtures are up-to-date, the Crabtree Valley Mall store in this Apple photo has a cashwrap at the rear instead of the now-standard Genius Bar.
In this Apple photo, the Chandler Fashion Center still has the old-fashioned black-paneled storefront and interior furniture. You can also see the theater at the rear of the space.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Not to be nit-picking, but the Willowbend Store has the black panels (as shown in the bottom picture in the article) and cash wrap at the front of the store and the Genius Bar at the back. The cash wrap station has always been in the front of the store since it opened in 2001. But…It is exciting to see that the store is getting refreshed. [Thanks for the 'nit' and the 'pick!' I've corrected the names. -- Gary]
Neal’s correct. The theater at Willow Bend was ripped out when the lucite kidneys were removed. A current model Genius Bar, displays, and stainless steel back wall replaced it. The floor is still wood, the entry is still black, and Personal Training sessions are often held in the Starbucks lounge area around the corner.
I hope the black bookshelves running down the center row are going to go as well.
I don’t know what store you have pictured as Willow Bend, since the Apple Store is on the first floor of the Willow Bend mall, not an upstairs level…
I haven’t been there in a few years as I no longer live in Arizona, but the upper picture is definitely not Chandler, as it is on the 1st level of the mall. I am almost certain that the lower picture is as Chandler looks or looked its first year (iMac G4 as evidence it is an old picture).
the pictures are switched..
That picture up top is the Crabtree store in Raleigh.
The Cashwrap in the back was removed some time ago and replaced with a table used for One-to-One sessions. They also took out the rear-most display shelf across from the Genius Bar and replaced it with a table where there’s an iMac that they use to check folks in.
Westfarms in CT is also getting a renovation in the upcoming weeks.
The Chandler store had their theater removed a while ago and replaced with a Genius bar. The old Genius bar was removed from the back right side and replaced with shelves for accessories. This was all done well over a year ago.
The Clarendon store (Arlington, VA) is being completely stripped at this moment. All merchandise is gone, furniture removed and loaded into a giant truck. Interior lighting is being fussed with. The store windows are covered in black. Reopening April 4 according to signage.
The Salem NH store is closing for a week starting April 6th or 7th. Thank God too, the only thing they have done to that store since it opened (in 2001?) is move the genius bar and get rid of the theater. otherwise, it’s still the original design.
Cambridgeside in Cambridge, MA has been on the list for years, but it’s scheduled to happen for real in May.