Stanford Mini-Store Make-Over

In July 2005 Apple gave the Stanford (N. Calif.) mini-store a make-over: they replaced the shiny, bright-white epoxy flooring with the stanard gray-green granite stone, and they installed a narrow display counter in the center of the store for iPods and associated music gear.

The additional counter space allowed Apple to now display G5 desktops, Mac minis, along with the 20" and 30" Cinema Displays.

You'll recall that the store were originally designed and built with blue carpet, but it was replaced at the last moment with the white epoxy flooring. The quickly attracted scuff marks, dirt and debris, reducing the spic-and-span appearance of the five mini-stores.

The new center-located counter is used to display the entire iPods line, headphones and speakers. You can see that it's installed about 4-5 feet just inside the front entrance, leaving the space between the EZ Pay stations open. The counter is rather narrow, and the support base is narrower still, which stil allows for plenty of room for visitors to navigate around the store. Check Apple's original photo of the store.

Another view of the center display counter, showing the mix of products: iPods, headphones and speakers.

Here's the pay-off for the addition of the center counter--the store can now display the full line of Macintosh computers, including the G5 and 30" Cinema Display. Notice how well the new stone flooring matches the existing stainless steel walls.

The new flooring matches the Tuscan granite used at new, full-size stores. The previous flooring was a very bright-white, shiny, epoxy material that attracted scuff marks, dirt and debris.

The stone flooring was extended out beyond the front window glass. Previously, the epoxy flooring ended about 2-3 feet inside the store, and there was a metal grating leading to the front door.