Happy Birthday, Apple Retail

It was on this date in 2001 that Apple launched what was at the time a huge gamble: their first retail store opened in Tyson's Corner, Virginia. I was there. I wasn't in line for the opening, but despite arriving mid-afternoon, I still got a Tyson's Corner Apple Store t-shirt. Little did I know about a year later, I'd be working in an Apple retail store.

While there are many personal memories to share, and of course and analysis of the future plans for the stores in order, for now, let's just take a trip back, as Steve Jobs himself takes on tour of the Apple store just prior to opening. As a point of reference, bear in mind this all happened pre-iPod, in a far-off time where something called OS 9 ruled the Apple world, and OS X (beta) was just getting "lickable."