from the apple event at ArtSpace

http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2008/10/city_boosters_c.php

I would have bought a computer and iPod in New Haven if there were an Apple Store here. Instead I had to buy one back home and as a result did not pay Connecticut sales tax.

Apple should realize that a location in Downtown New Haven would serve not only New Haven residents and Yale students and faculty, but also most of northern and eastern Connecticut.

We have two laptops, five ipods, and various accessories. I happily pay the apple tax for these products. I know I'm not the only one in this city. Thank You for bringing light to this problem!

I've had to speak to Apple Care reps a few times this year and every time they ask if there is a convenient Apple Store for me to visit to troubleshoot, I say "No, you need a store in New Haven". Westfarms is a ridiculous drive, New York is out of the question, and New Haven is so centrally located off I-91 and I-95, that it seems an obvious choice for an Apple store. Here's hoping that someone at Apple is listening!

I completely agree. What New Haven really needs is a cooler-than-thou, overpriced Apple Store to complement the cooler-than-thou, overpriced American Apparel a few doors away.

Definitely use your SeeClickFix iPhone app to vote for this issue.
Beautiful Irony!

Wow! This is SO true. An Apple Store in downtown New Haven, especially on Broadway would simply ROCK!

agreed. i drive to west farms all the time. it's way too far. and so is danbury.

I am the Business Reference Librarian at the New Haven Free Public Library and I cant tell you the number of times people have made reference to the need for an Apple Store in New Haven. I would hope the folks at Apple are Creative Capitalists or do they think we are "chicken liver" in New Haven?
Beware Apple the masses in New Haven are getting restless!

I don't see why Apple wouldn't put a store here.. its an excellent location! College students, people from Southern CT, New Haven residents..

I just heard that a fourth Apple Store recently opened in Connecticut--in Greenwich. Apple seems to like the Fairfield County market, so perhaps they can be convinced that there is money to be made in the New Haven area. There are now three Apple Stores within 15 minutes of each other--Stamford, CT, Greenwich, CT, and White Plains, NY, plus a fourth location in Danbury, CT.

mb287, the issue is twofold.

First- demographics. Fairfield and Westchester are two of the most affluent counties in the United States.

The second is that Apple is not a pioneer when it comes to retail, they are a follower. There is not a single apple retail store that is not a block or so away from a major shopping district or in a mall-- and they tend to be high-end retail areas.

If an Apple Store were to be able to come to the city, the place they would likely set up shop would be on Upper Broadway where there is the J Crew and American Apparel.

Yale properties is probably the only agent in the city who could successfully lure Apple here given the current economic climate, and only as part of a big build-out on Broadway to add more stores.

Yes, agreed! Absolutely! We need this problem fixed!!!!

The closest Apple store is in the Stamford mall...yet, and still, we need one here in New Haven/Greater New Haven region.

I wish people wouldnt clog up seeclickfix with this ignorant garbage.

Call Apple and tell THEM, or just move closer to a store if it is so important to you. My god...

john -

this is a way to organize around an issue and let the company know that there would be a lot of support. look for the issue with BoltBus for an example of how crowdsourcing around an economic development issue could help bring that entity/asset to New Haven. so i disagree with you when you say this is ignorant garbage, and think you should look for new ways to using this tool -

for what it's worth, i have called apple and tried to get through, and i've heard others have as well -

We definitely need an Apple Store in New Haven...with 5 colleges in town there is a tremendous student market, most of whom use Apples already anyway...

For your information, Best Buy in Orange CT is an authorized Apple retailer and carries a full range of products. Unless you just must have the Apple ambience, you don't need to drive to Danbury, Stamford, etc to shop Apple.

I think New Haven needs a Walmart downtown. I would like that Walmart to have a Popeyes fried chicken inside. Maybe I should start a new Seeclickfix issue for this.

Rey - is that right? I can buy a mac laptop there?

Hey John,
If you think New Haven needs it, start-up the issue.

Yes, you can buy Mac laptops at the Best Buy in Orange. Not sure about the one in North Haven, but almost certainly the one in Orange.

Well I want a local apple store, I don't want to have to drive down to one of my least favorite places, the Boston Post Road, consumer heaven.

Hmm, how about the empty lot on Chapel between Orange and Church (where the fire was)? OK, it's not near a mall, and Yalies would have to walk a bit further, but Apple could build to their own specs. And once the mysterious yet-to-be-named organic grocery opens on the Shartenburg lot and all the train-commuting young urban professionals move into those hundreds of apartments, that end of Chapel could be a lot more Apple-icious. Maybe??

I have a Mac, I love it, but it needs to go to an Apple place for some work, and because I don't drive this hasn't happened yet (for approx. 8 months I've been making do). I would, personally, give up a molar or two if it meant an Apple store would come to anywhere in the downtown area.

E, that's a very sweet offer! I'll see what I can do. Meanwhile, keep crunching those apples to keep your teeth nice and bright :-)

It's about time we sit down with Apple after dinner or something and talk this over. I don't see what they're hesitant about, there is an incredible market here in New Haven for a store. We've got some rich people moving in soon, more to come hopefully, we've got the college people, the 124,000 or so residents of New Haven, and the whole Greater New Haven who'd rather come to New Haven instead of Farmington for an apple store (not to mention anybody else whos around New Haven, such as hotel-goers or somethin...)

Well, maybe we could build the New Haven Apple Store out of teeth -- all kinds; molars, incisors, even wisdom teeth!

All kidding aside, if someone wants to pursue this for real, maybe put a feeler out to the city of New Haven Economic Development office: http://www.edcnewhaven.com/

The Mayor's office has been working on bring an Apple store to New Haven, as far as I'm concerned-we all have. We just really need to bring some good figures to apple and get their attention

New Haven needs a lot more than an Apple store....

Have you people been writing letters and emails to Apple, or simply commenting here?

Just wondering.

I agree though Stamford is easier to get to. Take Metro North and its a short walk to the Stamford Mall the driving distance is less as well though the traffic is a little more dicy. I think Apple should have moved into the old Gap Store on the corner of Chapel and Temple where TD Bank is. It would have been perfect. Not sure if Yale has a contract with Microsoft that would keep them out.

I'm 100% behind the concept of trying to bring an Apple

Store here in the city, but I have to reiterate what I've posted before:
Apple aims strictly to high end or mall developments. If you look at any of their non-mall standalone stores, they are in VERY high end areas.

Just to give you an example of what Apple does, take a look at the other store locations and the median family incomes of those towns.

-Danbury $71,178
-Farmington: $95,074
-Stamford: $79,221
-Greenwich: $168,779 (YUP)

-New Haven --- $35,950.

Extending this to New Haven County: $60,549, which is still a good 10K under Danbury, and Danbury Fair is the 5th largest mall in New England, and the largest in CT.

Retail is a very risk averse sector. No one wants to be the the first to take a step, and Apple in particular is not a trendsetter. They take up shop in only proven winners of shopping districts or where they can get foot traffic in malls. As you can see, on the surface we're just not an appealing bet.

I firmly believe that the ONLY way we'll be able to get some sort of Apple Store here in the city will be as part of the Yale/Broadway district, which is the highest end strip we have in the city and has proven winners like Urban Outfitters and JCrew.

That is where efforts should be focused. However there is precious little retail space remaining up there, so it's likely that some sort of expansion would have to occur there.

Yale and Yale properties in conjunction with the city would probably be the likeliest forces to be able to bring an Apple to the Elm City.

Thanks Pedro, good info.

Now maybe we can all get back to trying to make this city more attractive to people making over 35K a year. Its like asking Tweed to bring in more first class seating on their flights even though the airport is on the verge of financial collapse.

Its like going to a job interview dressed as a bag lady...

Hey all! I just wanted to let you know that Apple's Media Relations contact email has been added to the list of watchers. They will be sent all the comments posted on this issue from here down.

BTW, I couldn't agree more. I see your point, Rey, that we could by Apple products from Best Buy, but I think that many of us are interested in bringing an Apple store here so we can have the products we already own serviced.

Yes, Andrew S. -- to me, the problem really isn't acquiring an Apple product, the problem is dealing with the once-in-a-blue-moon problem with my Mac. (I've owned Macs exclusively since 1992, and this machine I'm currently working on is the first I've ever had with what I'll describe as health problems.)
I take Pedro's point, I really and truly do, but my mission is not to place an Apple store in a specific storefront, or block -- just to get them HERE. Whether on Broadway, on Audubon Street, on Chapel Street, I don't care.

Just go to West Hartford or Stamford. 40 miles north and 40 miles south.

No big deal.

You people see anything else wrong with this town? I see about a million things that could use attention but apparently our consumerist thinking brains are telling us otherwise. Yep, an Apple store is just what the minority of rich, white and elite citizens of New Haven desire so lets all focus on this.

Sorry but common sense tells me we all need to work a little harder on the root of the problems this city has(education,crime,high taxes) before demanding the "city" step up and give us another grand store to shop at.

i would like an apple store in new haven. it is possible to care about -real- issues, and consumer issues at the same time.

I agree!!! An apple store in New Haven makes sense given the hip atmosphere and New Haven being a destination for shoppers.

Not just a hip atmosphere and a destination for shoppers, it's also a huge student market (FOUR colleges/universities in one town: Yale, Southern CT, Albertus Magnus, and Univ. of New Haven) so every year there are new students arriving!

I'm a permanent New Haven resident (and permanent Mac user) and I know I'd be buying more Apple products if I didn't have to travel 80 miles round trip just to check them out before purchasing, or think of the drive to get them fixed. Please bring an Apple Store to New Haven, it's the perfect spot!

I would love to see an Apple store in New Haven.

Previously, I owned a series of IBM laptops and only recently switched over to Apple. One major drawback of Apple is the difficulty of getting repairs done. The CD drive of my imac broke recently with a disc stuck inside making unhappy noise. Due to my work schedule, I was unable to get this repaired for more than a month. In contrast, if one is willing to pay a premium, one can purchase next business-day on-site repair service for an IBM. Much as I love Apple design, unless Apple develops an on-site repair warranty option for this area or opens a store in New Haven, I think I'll have to go back to IBM for my next computer.

I think the Yale community alone could support an Apple store here in New Haven. Add in all the other Mac lovers (like me) from Bridgeport to Cheshire to Madison and they'll need a bigger store.

The one in greenwich is not so far and just fine.

Greenwich may not be "so far" if you own a car... but many students, and even some New Haven residents like me, choose not to own a car. So Greenwich is indeed quite a hassle to get to, as is West Hartford or all the way in to New York on MetroNorth, which are the only options for a huge population of Mac and potential Mac users in the 06511 area.

I think 45 Church St, the beautiful marble building that is currently and unforgivably vacant on the corner of Church and Crown, would make an excellent location for an Apple Store. Can't you just imagine that - apple logo on the pillars, grand store inside.. that'd be awesome! If only.. man, how do we get Apple's attention?

To the holier than thou "I choose not to own a car" person, the Apple store in Greenwich could not be easier to reach via the Metro North. It is probably 2 blocks from the train station.

Sadly enough, if Apple opens a store in the area it would probably be in Milford. There is still one space open in that high end mall that is currently home to Whole Foods. The two stores are a natural fit.

Saturday evening, about 7:30p, after dinner in downtown Greenwich, my wife & I stopped in to see the new Apple store there. Two things struck us, beyond its layout and appearance. One, There were several customers in the store with more traffic as we watched. Two, all other retail establishments were closed and shuttered except for the movie theaters, restaurants, etc. Conclusion? People like to visit these stores as a goal in itself. Add an Apple store and a Google wifi net to downtown New Haven and we would *really* be on the hi-tech map.

If you check the Apple web site you will find 2 authorized Apple service providers located in Branford (3 - 4 miles away). I've used Mac's for years and have used the repair service. Convenient.
I'm not opposed to having an Apple Shoppe in New Haven....but I am opposed to having to grant any public financial subsidies to get the job done. Apple makes good money (and their stock is one of the priciest on the board). They don't need money from the NH taxpayers to sweeten the deal. Unfortunately, that is exactly what they will demand to come here. If you want to get their attention, be prepared to wave your checkbook in the air!

It's not a holier than thou attitude - having a car if you live in New Haven does not make any sense- the insurance alone is unreal. And then there is parking to deal with. I laugh every time i'm in downtown and I see all of you drivers sitting in traffic, circling the block, getting frustrated - when you probably could have just walked, rode a bike, or taken a bus and you wouldn't have to deal with the headache. With that being said, there are a lot of people here who don't have cars- from students who aren't allowed to have cars to elderly people who don't drive anymore. Yes, we could go to Stamford on the train, it is possible to carry a laptop, but what about a desktop? Could you lug all that on a train and then carry it two blocks? Plus, bringing an Apple store to New Haven will create jobs. I am a New Haven taxpayer, and I don't mind paying subsidies if it will create jobs for New Haveners.

Yes!

NH Independent rumors that an Apple Store is coming to Broadway, 2/16/11 http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/will_it_be_apple/

Wow!

I think the Yale community alone could support an Apple Store here. Include everybody else for 20 miles around and the customer base is huge! Why isn't Yale working behind the scenes to nail this trophy store? Or is it working already......

Rumors are turning into Apple accepting applications for positions at a store in New Haven: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/apple_store/

I think that we can officially close this!
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/yale_readies_for_apple_with_4.8_m/
Well done Yale for attracting one of the most successful retail stores into the city. This is going to be a huge boon, especially for the boost of confidence it will give other retailers to come to the city!
Bravo!