Apple Willow Bend was an Apple Store located in Plano, Texas, USA. It opened for business on August 3, 2001 as Apple's third retail store and was internally identified as R008.[1]
Location[]
This Apple Store was situated within The Shops at Willow Bend mall at 6121 West Park Boulebard in Plano, Texas. It was normally open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day except Sundays, when it was open from noon to 6:00 p.m.
History[]
The store's original location at Suite C120 was designed by architect Art Gensler in direct collaboration with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.[2] The store was closed for renovation on April 17, 2016 and reopened as a modernized and expanded space on the following September 10th. A sister store, Apple Stonebriar, was opened nearby in Frisco, Texas in August 2009.[3][4]
Closure[]
In March 2019, Apple announced that Apple Willow Bend and Stonebriar would be permanently closed on April 12th. Apple made the move to exit from doing business within the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Texas, which was notorious for excessive patent lawsuits.[5] On April 13, 2019, a larger retail space at Apple Galleria Dallas was opened to serve the geographical area, but just outside the jurisdiction of the eastern district to make litigation more difficult for patent trolls. The new store was staffed by pre-existing employees from Willow Bend and Stonebriar.[6]
References[]
- ↑ Apple Storefronts: #3 Willow Bend R008 by Thomas Park, AppSpot. Archived 2019-03-30.
- ↑ Original Apple retail store architect Art Gensler dies at 85 by Mike Peterson, Apple Insider. 2021-05-11.
- ↑ Photos: Saying farewell to the third oldest Apple Store in the world by Michael Steeber, 9To5Mac. 2019-04-13.
- ↑ Apple Store, Willow Bend, Apple Inc. Archived 2016-04-26.
- ↑ Apple confirms Plano and Frisco, Texas retail stores will permanently close on April 12th by Michael Steeber, 9To5Mac. 2019-03-26.
- ↑ Apple officially announces new Galleria Dallas retail store opening April 13th by Michael Steeber, 9To5Mac. 2019-03-26.
External links[]
- Apple Willow Bend at Apple (archived 2019-02-23, 2016-10-16)
- Apple Store, Willow Bend (archived 2016-04-04, 2012-06-16, 2010-01-04, 2008-07-26, 2002-04-14)
- Apple at The Shops at Willow Bend (archived 2017-04-30, 2010-07-07, 2001-11-29)
