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Apple to Relocate Flagship San Francisco Retail Store to Union Square
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Somehow I suspect this is more because the city closed the Stockton and Ellis exit from BART/Muni (for construction of the underground corridor to the incipient Union Square Muni Station) than because they particularly want to be in Union Square. The Market-facing side of the current store is completely hidden. The Stockton-facing side, where the entrance is located, is currently hard to get to.
Union Square
Not true at all. Starting on the next block east of the new Apple store a bunch of shops have recently gone out, and the block after that has even more vacancies (the Polo store just closed, for example, after I think a couple of decades at Post and Kearny), and much of what's gone in recently to replace departed retailers are either relatively low-rent, low-traffic retail tenants or non-retail outlets (like the Charles Schwab that went in where The Gap's flagship used to be). I was just saying to a friend last week that the city seriously needs to shore up the retail presence on that stretch of Post Street or risk having it become a retail wasteland east of Stockton, potentially taking down fixtures like Gump's in the process, so this is a welcome and needed development.
Anyhow, the old Apple store down on Stockton is a stinky nightmare. A larger, fresher space a few blocks from the nasty Powell BART station will almost certainly be an improvement.
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No way. A modern building the exact same height as its traditional neighbor would look awful.
The proportions of the proposed building are great. My only worry is it might still be a little too small for San Francisco, since there are only two other stores in town (and one of them is all the way down in Stonestown, which might as well be Half Moon Bay as far as 50% of the residents of the city are concerned).
Not true at all. Starting on the next block east of the new Apple store a bunch of shops have recently gone out, and the block after that has even more vacancies (the Polo store just closed, for example, after I think a couple of decades at Post and Kearny), and much of what's gone in recently to replace departed retailers are either relatively low-rent, low-traffic retail tenants or non-retail outlets (like the Charles Schwab that went in where The Gap's flagship used to be). I was just saying to a friend last week that the city seriously needs to shore up the retail presence on that stretch of Post Street or risk having it become a retail wasteland east of Stockton, potentially taking down fixtures like Gump's in the process, so this is a welcome and needed development.
Anyhow, the old Apple store down on Stockton is a stinky nightmare. A larger, fresher space a few blocks from the nasty Powell BART station will almost certainly be an improvement.
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No way. A modern building the exact same height as its traditional neighbor would look awful.
The proportions of the proposed building are great. My only worry is it might still be a little too small for San Francisco, since there are only two other stores in town (and one of them is all the way down in Stonestown, which might as well be Half Moon Bay as far as 50% of the residents of the city are concerned).
Dicey
You're jaded from living in Oakland.
Macy's isn't too bad, but it's a block north of where the Apple store is located. Lots of thuggy types hang out in front of the Old Navy on Market kitty-corner from the Apple Store, enough to make the area seem skeevy to me (and I live in the Tendernob, so for me to notice something as particularly skeevy it has to be pretty bad!).
Also, the Central Subway construction means that congested stretch of Stockton where the old store is at is likely to be a mess off and on for years. Rats run wild in the streets at night, displaced by the construction (hang out up by the Crate & Barrel after dark - yeesh!). I avoid the area whenever possible.
And since the current store is right on top of the Powell BART station it's like a homeless shelter whenever the weather is bad. Not a pleasant shopping experience, and I'm surprised it's taken Apple this long to GTFO. I'd have relocated to somewhere - anywhere - else in the Union Square area 2-3 years ago. It's not like they don't have the money to burn on a nice temporary location while waiting for a perfect permanent location to turn up.
Actually, I was surprised they didn't go into the old Virgin Megastore space across the street when that vacated, although maybe they decided it was just too large - or maybe they wanted to get the heck away from the Powell BART station, the construction, and the throngs of transients.
The old Gap flagship or the old Diesel flagship at Kearny & Post would have been great locations, too. Also, the former DSW Shoe Warehouse location on Powell north of O'Farrell would have been perfect I think. Not sure why they didn't go after those when they became available. Maybe they knew well in advance that Levis were going to be moving on.
You're jaded from living in Oakland.
Macy's isn't too bad, but it's a block north of where the Apple store is located. Lots of thuggy types hang out in front of the Old Navy on Market kitty-corner from the Apple Store, enough to make the area seem skeevy to me (and I live in the Tendernob, so for me to notice something as particularly skeevy it has to be pretty bad!).
Also, the Central Subway construction means that congested stretch of Stockton where the old store is at is likely to be a mess off and on for years. Rats run wild in the streets at night, displaced by the construction (hang out up by the Crate & Barrel after dark - yeesh!). I avoid the area whenever possible.
And since the current store is right on top of the Powell BART station it's like a homeless shelter whenever the weather is bad. Not a pleasant shopping experience, and I'm surprised it's taken Apple this long to GTFO. I'd have relocated to somewhere - anywhere - else in the Union Square area 2-3 years ago. It's not like they don't have the money to burn on a nice temporary location while waiting for a perfect permanent location to turn up.
Actually, I was surprised they didn't go into the old Virgin Megastore space across the street when that vacated, although maybe they decided it was just too large - or maybe they wanted to get the heck away from the Powell BART station, the construction, and the throngs of transients.
The old Gap flagship or the old Diesel flagship at Kearny & Post would have been great locations, too. Also, the former DSW Shoe Warehouse location on Powell north of O'Farrell would have been perfect I think. Not sure why they didn't go after those when they became available. Maybe they knew well in advance that Levis were going to be moving on.
400 staff? That's amazing. What I would give to be one of those 400
No retreat, no surrender. That is Apple law. And by Apple law, we will stand and fight... and die. A new age has begun: an age of freedom! And all will know that 400 gave their last breath to defend it!
They were 400 men, against a million! THIS IS APPLE!
Weird
I was just at Union Square a week ago or so. Strange. I noticed a large amount of Ipad apps hanging on various buildings all around. I should have known.
I was just at Union Square a week ago or so. Strange. I noticed a large amount of Ipad apps hanging on various buildings all around. I should have known.
Except, by the time the store moves, I wouldn't be surprised if construction has also moved up the street into Union Square.
No, the rendering is fine, the interior ceiling and mezzanine soffit are clearly at inclined angles.
Your red construction lines clearly match the exterior wall of the building.