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The Grand Opening The line and the chatter are picking up as we get closer to 9 a.m. The queue barricades are still more than sufficient to handle the crowd, but the line is growing. We suffer through several more rounds of drizzle, and we're keeping our fingers crossed. We can hear yelling and whooping from inside the store around 8:30 a.m. as the employees get ready for the opening. I took a final crowd count and found 240 persons in line. At 8:50 a.m. the huge front doors swing open and a group of about 30 employees dash out clapping and yelling. They turn left and head up the main part of the queue as the crowd excitement increases. New people are arriving in the queue every moment, and it looks like 350 or so at this point. The Apple employees come back down the line and head back into the store, someone inside holds up a finger to tell us "one more moment," and we anxiously await the opening. There's more yelling from inside, and at 9 a.m. the door opens for real. Inside we can see persons on the second floor lining the railing, and downstairs along both sides of the store, all clapping. Matt rolled up the wheelchair ramp, which is installed along the right-front of the store, behind the black iron fence. The security team motions us forward and we move into the store to sounds of yelling and applause. As predicted, it's a special-looking store--coming in you're met by a tall ceiling, that mezzanine and the usual interior design. But once you turn around towards the front of the store, you see the rough-cut stone, colored in variations of sand brown, and outlined by smooth painted columns. In between are the windows, a few at the front, but more at the left end where the spiral staircase ascends to the mezzanine. The store has about the right size feeling to me, except for the height of the ceilings (on the other hand, I'm over 6-feet tall). Standing underneath the mezzanine, or on the mezzanine itself, there's a certain constrained feeling here, compared to other stores such as Regent Street. Obviously, there was an overall limitation on store height, and it had to be divided equally for each level. Perhaps my feeling is also enhanced by the very tall ceiling in the front part of the store. The glass staircase is well-placed near the windows, drawing people to the second floor, but also drawing stares from everyone on the ground and second floors. On the main level, people wandered around the stares, and stood towards the back of the store to look outward towards the windows. Up top, people were lining the railing just looking...and looking. That up-top view was perhaps most compelling: a large, open hall framed by the stone walls, illuminated by the windows, and spiced up by the spiral staircase. Oh, and perhaps the visitors were also looking at the wooden display tables with Apple products, too. But maybe not. It was crowded on the mezzanine, where people seemed very interested in the products. The Genius Bar was busy with questions and lots of laptops were open and being poked by the staff. The accessory and software wall shelving was jammed, and I saw lots of people carrying products for purchase. One man was literally juggling 7-8 differently-shaped products on top of each other on his way to make his purchase. Several employees were wearing kilts in honor of the grand opening, which lent a festive atmosphere to the event, especially to someone coming from the United States. On both levels there's what I call the quiet spot on the left rear of the store, created by the difference in space between the back of the building and storage and stock rooms. On the ground floor, you're around the corner from the main hall, but still have a view of the windows, the staircase and the stone wall. Upstairs, you're out of view of the Genius Bar and product areas, but can still look outward through the windows and down to the stone walls. Both spaces would be completely wasted in any other store. But here at the Apple store, they're both great little areas to look around and feel calm. Oh, there are also doors here to the back rooms, so you won't be entirely alone in your thoughts. I didn't see lots of big-ticket purchases during my 75-minute stay at the store. But I did see lots of smaller purchases, including of iLife '08 and iPod accessories. Perhaps the store experience was best summed up on the faces of a family of four I saw at the top of the glass staircase. They had just come into the store, explored the main level and had slowly walked up the stairs. The parents and two children were each looking around and smiling--not "Wow!", not surprise, but "I'm happy and having a good time." And to think, they're inside a computer store. Thanks to everyone for their hospitality, including the Scots Martin, Matt, Peter and Jacky. I'm glad I endured the long trip to make this grand opening. I hear that the barricades were removed about 11 a.m., about the same time that the 1,500 commemorative T-shirts ran out. If you live in Scotland/Glasgow, join the Glasgow Mac Users Group (Glas-MUG) for £20 a year. Visit their Web site for more information. Early Saturday Morning Just after midnight the workers moved the stored bicycle fencing to create a series of five switchbacks in the center of the pedestrian walk along this block of Buchanan Street. They also created a smaller series of switchbacks along St. Georges Street at the north end of the block. We moved from the side of the building to inside the first layer of the barricade. At 1:40 a.m. there are 25 persons in line. At the front of the store employees are washing the front windows by climbing a ladder placed over the basement stairway. Inside, workers Pedestrian traffic is waning, except for the occasional intoxicated people. Two pairs of young men have approached the front of the queue within the barricade, both claiming they were there for the grand opening. We were skeptical, since they didn't express any interest in Apple or Macs. One talked non-stop, while the other nodded his head in acknowledgement. We motioned them to the back of the line, where they bored people for about an hour before moving on. At 3:10 a.m. there are still 25 persons in line--the same as 90 minutes ago. Time is moving slowly during this period. There's a public toilet at the corner, underground. When I visited it was in perfect shape, with little bars of soap and paper towels. Apparently this is not usual, just as in the United States. At 6 a.m. there were 46 persons in line, and the pace of arrivals has picked up. At 6:20 a.m. the Aqua Wash truck showed up to powerwash the sidewalk in front of the building. The washing didn't remove the light-colored chewing gum from the dark-colored sidewalk, but did remove any leaves or other standing debris.. The wash operator was guided by someone who pointed out specifically, and forcefully, what could and could not be washed because of heritage restrictions. The newspapers are out, and we've found articles in both about the waiting line. Matt's multi-color, "bite of the Apple" tattoo on his arm has finally been exposed! I can see that the Genius Bar screens inside the store are displaying appointment names for iPod service. But they appear to be test reservations, since the number of names hasn't grown larger through the night, and the names sometimes include a number (joe232). And the Genius Bar LCDs do appear to be larger than previous store displays. I've seen. The black-uniformed security team changed shifts at 7 a.m., just as Starbucks opened across the street from the Apple store. There is an increasing number of persons arriving to attend the grand opening, each one having to snake through the long empty queue before arriving behind the actual line to applause from a group of persons 10-15 from the front. I ran to Starbucks across the street to update this report. Mike arrived shortly after, bought a cup of coffee and settled into an easy chair. About a minute later he was sound asleep--and the coffee he was holding slipped from his hand and hit the floor. He's obviously tired! And so am I. While I was in Starbucks, Steve Cano and crew brought around coffees for every single person in the waiting line--quite a feat! The temperature is moderate, but the overcast would raise and lower, since we could feel a very slight drizzle now and then. It often felt like the beginning of rain, and several people would take out their umbrellas. But within a minute or so it would stop. By 7:50 a.m. there are 94 persons in line and the weather will probably be good. Four police officers have arrived to help with controlling the pedestrian traffic on the street so that the waiting line can enter the store through the passing pedestrians, but it looks like a minor job. Friday Evening About 4 p.m. Steve Cano (Sr. director, international retail) and others appeared outside to examine the exterior of the building. Charitably speaking, it's old, defaced in some areas and shows signs of major previous repair in other areas. One can easily see fingerprints by the door, left by some substance. At other locations you can see letters seeming to spell out "Kenny," and the letters "FX." There are obvious signs of cleaning, some successful, some not. A doorbell or buzzer appears to have been installed to the right of the tall, black main door, Apple did manage to replace the front steps of the building over the past two days, most likely because wear from millions of footsteps had made the steps uneven. But otherwise, Apple's cleaning or restoration options for the stone facing are limited by the heritage laws, and maybe even current restoration technology. During Cano's tour outside, he examined the front entrance area, the sidewalk and the corner work, and then headed back inside. Inside the store, the employees received their work T-shirts, lanyards and ID badges. The ceremony took place on the second floor, with each employee's name being called out. They would then run down the line of employees and get their bag to cheers and applause. Dennis (Germany) joined the waiting line in front of the store at about 5 p.m., so now there are six persons in line. Mike continued to offer instruction and the "Wow!" factor to passersby with his iPhone. He's unofficially converted several persons to the device, leading to potential sales. About an hour later the employees appeared inside wearing their new T-shirts--and armed with white towels, which they used to start buffing up the interior glass and stainless steel. They've been waving to us from inside the store. The inside scaffolding for polishing up the hard-to-reach glass was dismantled and taken away. Outside, work on the sidewalk at the corner ended around 5 p.m., with about three 2'x3' stones still missing. A construction fence surrounds the unfinished portion. I took a walk north on the street to find the Buchanan Street Galleries shopping mall, and indoor, 5-story building with lots of high-end retailers inside. It's interesting that Apple didn't locate here, but instead chose to buy out a local retailer, renovate an old building and open on the street. Glasgow is definitely a lucky city. Not all the shops or buildings along Buchanan Street match Apple's level of retailing. In fact, some of the shops are pretty seedy further north. That's not even taking into account the actual appearnace of the buildings themselves, which are--of course--old and weathered. By 5:30 p.m. the passing crowd is changing from workers and shoppers to people getting off work. I've been reminded that it's a Friday night, and to expect lots of pub crawlers along this stretch of Buchanan Street. But then, I've seen this before in Tokyo and London. Michael has been demonstrating his iPhone to those who stop buying, invariably drawing a crowd. Everyone seems to like the touch interface in particular, and leaves with a desire to buy one when they become available in the UK by the end of the year. This store has fewer opportunities for a spectacular photo, partly because there is just one Apple logo on display, and it's obscured except for a narrow angle in front. It may be the least photogenic of the high-profile stores from the outside. I'll keep working on finding a good angle. We have a good Wi-Fi connection from inside the store. It actually seems to be better the further away you are from the store, at least if you're still in front of the store. At 9 p.m. the pedestrian traffic is dwindling, but we now have 15 persons in line for the grand opening. The store is empty of retail employees, but other staffers are roaming around the store, apparently putting it in shape. By 10 p.m. there were still just 15 persons in the waiting line. We hear that at 11 p.m. an group of security officers will arrive and be posted outside to provide us with protection. The pedestrian traffic continues to dwindle. However, it now consists of pairs of women walking without their shoes, pairs of intoxicated men, and stretch limos driving by with yelling women leaning out of the windows. The weather continues to be bearable, in the mid-50s, damp but with no rain. Friday Morning-Afternoon I arrived in Glasgow at 8:40 a.m. after a six-hour flight from Philadelphia, landing over very green fields and through low clouds. The weather is nice--and dry. I took the airport bus into the city and jumped off just a block from the Apple store at about 9:20 a.m. Walking down the pedestrian mall of Buchanan Street, I found Michael, Martin, Peter and Matt already in line. Michael arrive about 7 a.m. and Martin around 7:40 a.m. Michael noticed that the front steps smelled of urine when he scouted the location earlier, and apparently he was the only one who noticed. A clean-up crew has been scrapping gum and other sticky stuff off the stonework around the entrance, and the metal wheelchair ramp. They've also been power-washing the front entrance steps. Another team is re-painting the ornate ironwork with a glossy black. Trucks have arrived twice with deliveries of bicycle fencing to help control the waiting line. So far, they've delivered over 140 eight-foot sections. That means Apple is expecting a pretty large crowd tomorrow morning. Inside the store there is a huge scaffold at the front, with workers on the second level cleaning the glass wall that surrounds the edge. Pedestrian traffic has been picking up since about 10 a.m., and then even more as the lunch-time crowds came into the pedestrian street. I'm told that weekend days are even more crowded. Delivery personnel have been stumped on how to get inside the store. We're not helping out by pointing them to the side stairs that lead down to the lower level. There is still just the original five of us in line by 2:30 p.m. Workers are still toiling on the sidewalk stone at the corner of the store, but other outside work on the store has ended. Inside, there are groups of people, but because of the high windows, it's difficult to say what they're doing or who they are. We can occasionally hear whops and hollers from enthusiastic people inside, presumably the employees getting pumped up for the opening. Traditionally, Friday night is reserved for a family and friends reception. The weather continues to be in the mid-60s and light overcast. Thursday Evening I continue to fly my way to Glasgow, but Mike has already arrived by train from London to find the weather is balmy and dry. And being the hip guy that he is, he noted that the city is crowded, since the Red Hot Chili Peppers are playing a Friday night concert at Hampden Park. While waiting in Philadelphia for my flight to Glasgow, I received the first photos of the interior of the Apple store, show a space that's rather compact, but still spectacular. The spiral glass staircase draws attention to one end of the main floor, with a mezzanine visible above. The inside of the exterior walls are rough stone, outlined with newer, white stone columns. Apple's original choice of stone flooring color seems to have blended in well here among so many other colors that are part of the original building. This store and Regent Street seem to be the most accommodative to heritage, but then, the UK has so much more heritage than the U.S. For us, a "landmark" building was built in 1958. For the UK, you can tack on about 100 years to that. Check the link to the left for the interior photos. Thursday Morning I'm flying eastward towards Glasgow (Scotland) for the grand opening of the Buchanan Street Apple retail store. I had to end a family trip early and make airline reservations quickly in order to make this grand opening. I should arrive early Friday morning and will take a bus to city center to join the waiting line. I've received e-mails confirming attendance by people from Italy, Germany and the United States. Since it's Scotland's first store, it's not clear how early the locals will form a line, how many there might be or their level of enthusiasm. The store is located at 147 Buchanan Street at Victoria Streets, inside an historic building that bears some resemblance to the Regent Street store--arches, very detailed façade and soaring height. Both streets are extra wide, allowing a spectacular view of the store from a wide angle. Inside the 6,450 s.f (600 s.m.) retail space, there store will reportedly be a spiral glass staircase leading to a mezzanine-level Genius Bar. Apple says there are 59 employees working at the store. The weather is forecast to be 65F/18C during the day, and 55F/12C at night. There's an increasing chance of rain starting on Thursday night, so I'm carrying the now-standard grand opening package: umbrella, rain pants and Gore-Tex jacket. Warm gloves and a hat round out my rainy-day apparel. Because of the weather, I may not be able to pop open my laptop to frequently post updates. I'll do my best. Check the links in the left column, which will become active as I post photos and videos. |
continue using a scaffold to do touch-up 
but was removed and plastered over in a darker brown color. All of these things contribute to a certain variability in color that makes the building--and the surrounding ones--look...well, tacky. On the other hand, you have to understand the age of the building and what it has weathered over the years.
