Apple Union Square store opens to large crowds

Apple’s Union Square store opened its 42-foot tall sliding glass doors to shoppers Saturday, inviting a long line of fans eager to set their eyes on the new store fixtures, snap photos of Apple executives and stroll through a room with roving technicians and trees. The huge Apple fan had seen videos of Apple store launches, with employees counting down to the second when the doors open, and he wanted to experience it for himself. The new store is part of Apple’s new strategy to make its retail spaces not only a place to shop, but also a place for the community to congregate. The first 1,600 customers received a free T-shirt and cards featuring images by photographer Travis Jensen, shot on an iPhone 6s. Apple executives Angela Ahrendts, who oversees the tech giant’s retail and online stores, and chief design officer Jonathan Ive were also there and ardent Apple fans strained their arms to get pictures of them on their iPhones. In a mix between marketing and entertainment Saturday, the band Marjorie Fair performed at the Union Square store, while filmmakers Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi drew singer Evan Slamka, using Apple Pencils on iPad Pros. Doug Bourquin, 64, was there when that store opened in 2004 and he was one of the Apple store employees that did a toast —with sparkling cider (which employees thought was fitting considering their employer’s name is Apple) — to honor the Stockton store’s closure Friday night. Thomas Johnson, a “Genius” who helps people at the Apple Store, said one of the most memorable events at the Stockton Street retail location was when they took down black covering from the windows to reveal the iPhone in 2007.