Apple's First Retail Stores Opened 25 Years Ago Today
Apple's retail operation celebrates its 25th anniversary today, having opened its first stores on May 19, 2001. The initiative was spearheaded by Steve Jobs, who aimed to enhance the customer experience by controlling retail operations. Today, Apple operates over 500 stores worldwide, generating significant revenue and transforming the retail landscape.
- ▪Apple opened its first retail stores on May 19, 2001, in Tysons Corner, Virginia, and Glendale, California.
- ▪The stores welcomed over 7,700 visitors and recorded $599,000 in sales during their opening weekend.
- ▪By 2004, Apple Retail reached $1.2 billion in revenue, becoming the fastest retail operation to hit that milestone.
3 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 27 hours. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: centre. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
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Apple's First Retail Stores Opened 25 Years Ago TodayTuesday May 19, 2026 8:16 am PDT by Hartley CharltonApple's retail operation turns 25 years old today, marking a quarter century since the company opened its first stores on May 19, 2001. Steve Jobs personally guided members of the press through the Tysons Corner store four days before it opened, after Apple announced the retail initiative on May 15. Some 500 visitors lined up before dawn on opening day, with the queue growing to over 1,000 by the time the doors opened at 10 a.m. The two stores, located at Tysons Corner Center in McLean, Virginia and Glendale Galleria in California, welcomed over 7,700 visitors and recorded $599,000 in combined sales across their opening weekend.
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