The tragedies in New York and Washington were also on the minds of those attending the opening. “The events of last Tuesday are uppermost on our minds making it hard to enjoy even a new Apple store opening in town,” Tadd Torborg, who attended the opening, told MacCentral. Even with this, TorBorg said the staff and the people waiting in line were very excited.
Daniel Swanson, who also attended the weekend opening, arrived at 5:30 am to find five other people already in line. The five had driven from Orlando, arriving in Tampa at 4:00 am. Apple staff came out to meet those first in line and pass out Evian water — not often a retail store goes to such lengths for its customers.
“When the roll-up door finally went up at 10:00 am, the manager greeted the amassed crowd of 300-400 (my estimate) and was met with cheers, whooping, and applause,” Swanson said. “‘Woodstock’ by Crosby, Stills, and Nash was playing, and the store quickly filled with people.”
Although no date is given on its Web site, Apple indicates the next store opening will be at The Shops of Saddle Creek in Germantown, TN.