Filed under: Retail, Bad Apple
Apple Store SoHo cited as a bad neighbor
Is Apple's oldest NYC retail store causing agita for its well-heeled neighbors in SoHo? AFP and Dow Jones are reporting that the SoHo Alliance, an umbrella community organization, has complained to city officials and Apple execs about a litany of issues with the popular outlet. Crowds outside the store (sometimes overnight) have blocked streets and left trash behind, to the frustration of nearby residents.
The recent Jonas Brothers in-store concert may have been the final indignity for alliance director Sean Sweeney. "This concert attracted thousands of young teenage girls who screamed incessantly on the street for hours for their idols, blocking traffic, injuring one resident in the crush, and inconveniencing scores of other people and businesses."
I suppose there's a price to pay for being busy and popular. Considering that the immediate vicinity of the store is home to scores of restaurants, bars and high-end boutiques, it's surprising that Apple is the biggest quality-of-life offender in the area, but maybe it's time for some of the bigger draws to move to the 14th Street store instead.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Andrew said 10:36AM on 8-22-2008
I was in the San Francisco Apple store the other day and it wasn't a very pleasant shopping experience. The place was a zoo -- there were people everywhere, and I found it difficult to move around, let alone ask a sales person for help. I couldn't even reach certain product displays because of the crowds. And this was at 3pm in the afternoon; I can only imagine what the weekends are like.
So yeah, I could imagine the NYC store not being popular with the neighbors. Don't get me wrong, they're well designed stores, but possibly victims of their own success.
Reply
Josh said 10:37AM on 8-22-2008
Boo hoo...
Uppity trendy freaks (not the apple store... they aren't uppity)
...
Reply
Jeff said 10:43AM on 8-22-2008
I think maybe if Apple were a little more diligent about cleaning the surrounding area of trash every day, then the other complaints could be met with a big fat "Go screw yourself, nerd"
Crowds? oohh no!
Reply
Fred said 10:52AM on 8-22-2008
Think about it, if Apple opened a store in your neighborhood and it made it so busy that you couldn't get to or out of your home, you'd probably "Boo Hoo" a little too. Don't be stupid, Apple has a responsibility in this and they didn't meet it.
Reply
Sam said 11:08AM on 8-22-2008
IIRC, There's an empty lot alongside the 14th Street Apple Store; it's wide enough that they could make an amphitheater out of it and hold all their events there.
Reply
wizardishungry said 11:12AM on 8-22-2008
Of course their neighbors are a bunch of snivling entitled d-bags who benefited from the first waves of gentrification and now want to stop the mallification of Manhattan which they brought about by pricing all the working-class people into the outer regions of NYC. Serves them right.
Reply
Seanonymous said 11:14AM on 8-22-2008
If, back in the 80s, someone told me that "thousands of young teenage girls" would someday surround a computer store, I would be a much bigger geek than I am today.
Reply
alsogeek said 11:54AM on 8-22-2008
@Seanonymous
Don't worry, you're probably more of a geek than you think you are! :-)
Reply
decibelJONES said 12:16PM on 8-22-2008
Really! I mean, Prince Street was always so neat and tidy, calm, quiet and empty before Apple came along.
Damn... there are no sarquotes (sarcastic quotation marks) on this keyboard.
Reply
Jon Kit said 12:40PM on 8-22-2008
If you have to put an explanation of an abbreviated word in brackets following that word, you should probably just write what you meant in the 1pl (first place).
decibelJONES said 2:49PM on 8-22-2008
@ jon kit -
Oh, I see what you did there. Very clever.
And yes, this sentence begins with the word and, and I am aware that "Very clever." is a sentence fragment.
I am sorry to have offended you.
froop said 12:19PM on 8-22-2008
"agita"?? Rose, you incompetent asswipe.
Reply
rvaarsi said 12:45PM on 8-22-2008
Oh boo-friggidy-hoo. I have precious little patience for the well-heeled bastards in that neighborhood. For the money they dumped into their oh-so-trendy lofts they can put in some sound-proofing. If it was Elliot Smith or Portishead doing the in-stores, they'd soil their Lucky's in ecstasy.
Reply
Fred said 12:54PM on 8-22-2008
The income level is really not a factor here is it? I know that there are a few of you that would like to pretend that it is, but if a business moves into your area and makes a nuisance of itself it should be addressed. No matter where I live I should have free and open access to my home, and if Apple impedes that then they need to address it. I'm not saying that anybody should get anything out of it, but jeez, be considerate of others no matter who they are.
matt said 12:55PM on 8-22-2008
re: maybe it's time to move to the 14th street store insead --
There's an article in one of the local papers here (I forget which...i picked it up randomly at a coffee shop waiting for a rainstorm to pass) that talks about the same exact issue with the residents of the Meatpacking district....granted this is a neighborhood filled with the trendiest of nightspots so it's saying a lot that the residents are annoyed by the Apple store.
I'll try to find it and post it up here for you.
Reply
Mark said 1:18PM on 8-22-2008
All of you that are insulting everyone that lives in the neighborhood need to realize that it is one thing to live on a busy street, it is another to have a concert/queue outside for days at a time. No boutiques or restaurants have this. I live on a busy street in Manhattan and it is relatively loud, but if I had hundreds of people outside my window for even a few hours all the time it would be another story and I would complain as well. Apple doesn't own the street and sidewalks.
Reply
Sam said 2:45PM on 8-22-2008
Hey! I have an idea! Hows about Apple opening up a store in a borough of New York City NOT named Manhattan?
Reply
Bloobie said 9:45PM on 8-22-2008
4 NYC stores not in Manhattan are not enough for you? Geez...
Almadi said 4:34PM on 8-22-2008
Open a smoothie store next to it and call it 'Apple Juice', reap the rewards.
If you can't beat em, mooch off em.
Reply
Almadi said 4:36PM on 8-22-2008
Open a smoothie store next to it and call it 'Apple Juice', reap the rewards.
If you can't beat 'em, mooch of 'em
Reply