Steve Jobs opened Apple’s first retail stores in the United States on May 19, 2001.
The stores opened at Tysons Corner Center in Virginia and Glendale Galleria in California. Apple launched them after Jobs concluded that customers needed a better place to experience and learn about its products.
The move was controversial because many analysts believed computer retailing was already too competitive. Apple’s stores instead emphasized product demonstrations, advice, repairs, and a tightly controlled brand environment. The company later expanded the concept internationally.
A common mix-up is treating 2001 as the year of Apple’s first store anywhere. The first two U.S. stores opened on the same day; Apple’s retail network subsequently became one of the company’s most recognizable customer-facing operations.