Brooklyn's borough prez makes a play for Apple Store
It may seem like New York City is already pretty well stocked with Apple retail outlets. With four full-scale storefronts in Manhattan, including the iconic 24-hour 5th Ave cube and the new Upper West Side 'temple of iPad,' the city's 5th store in the Staten Island Mall seems like an afterthought. Do the Big Apple's denizens really need yet another Apple Store?
According to Brooklyn's borough president Marty Markowitz, the answer isn't just "Yes," it's "Hell, yes!" In an email last week to Steve Jobs, Marty implored the Apple management team to consider a retail presence in the 'Creative Capital' of NYC.
He pointed out that Brooklyn's retail resurgence is ongoing and upward-trending in a tough market; the new IKEA store in the ruggedly hip Red Hook district is among the chain's top American outlets (although it's easier to get there from Manhattan, by water shuttle, than from most of Brooklyn), and the neighborhood also hosts the popular Fairway supermarket. Those of you with long memories may recall that a Brooklyn Apple store was 'confirmed'... two years ago.
With Brooklyn's Mac-friendly neighborhoods of Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO and Williamsburg eager to shop local, the idea of an Apple store in the borough does make some sense. DUMBO in particular is home to scores of digital firms, including our friends at Dealnews/Dealmac and Freeverse (in the same office building).
To make sure that Steve got the message, Marty & his team went the extra mile and put together a little video promo. It features a newly purchased iPad that was, to the borough president's shock and horror, imported from Manhattan. Click the 'Read More' link to watch.
As a matter of Brooklyn pride, I'd love to see my borough get its very own Apple store. As a practical consideration, however, my daily commute takes me past one Manhattan store and drops me off a 10-minute bus ride from another, so I doubt I'd be a regular at a store close to home.
Thanks Laurie, Carlos & Kacy!
[via Gothamist]
Vimeo embed below; iPad/iPhone users, click the link.
An Apple Store Grows in Brooklyn from Marty Markowitz on Vimeo.
