Tadd's photos from West Farms Apple Store Grand Opening October 28, 2001

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This is my fourth grand opening. I've been to five stores. Click on my Tadd's Apple Store home for pix of other stores. Unfortunately on this trip I was unprepared in the camera department and my only set of batteries died after only a few pictures. So.. I missed the actual door opening. I started photographing again at about 10:20am. The line for this opening was bigger than Crossgates and bigger than International Plaza. I was impressed. The line was still going by 11:30am when I left the mall.

I delved back into my archives to see if I had any skyline pix from Hartford. They aren't very good but at least it gives you a clue that Hartford IS a city. West Hartford is a suburb and I think there are some university complexes there as well as a pretty big mall, a regular main street, condos and the like. Hartford is about an hour and a half from NYC and about the same from Boston. In between the cities there are some rather rural looking places. Less so toward NYC than Boston. Hartford is on the intersection of I84, east west, and I91, north-south. West Hartford is west on I-84 about 20 miles from downtown Hartford.

The following photos are linked to larger images

These photos are taken of the mall while driving around the perimeter road. As you can see the leaves are changing nicely this weekend.

P0012823 P0012824 We arrived at the mall at around 8:40am. My wife was driving. As usual we did our homework and parked on the opposite corner of the mall, thus maximizing our walking distance. Filene's was having a sale today and I think they were open early, thus explaining the number of cars in the lot.

P0012825 P0012826 Here's my lovely wife getting out of the car. Finally, 7 minutes later, we're on the wing of the mall where the Apple store is. I took more inside the mall pictures later (on this web page).

P0012827 P0012828 At just before 9:00 am the line wasn't too long; perhaps a couple of dozen people. When we got in line we quickly found that the people in front of us in line who were from Brookfield CT we in fact friends of some friends of our family. One degree of separation? The woman pulled out her cellphone to call the mutual friends and tell them of the wierd story. Communications is wonderful! Here is Jack making himself at home with his video game.

P0012829 P0012830 During the hour we were there the Apple crew did some pep-rally action, more than I saw at the other stores. One big difference here... The mall wouldn't let the Apple people give out free water. That was missed! There were people who were also at the Crossgates Mall opening. We had a good time talking to people on line. My wife took a jog around the mall to see if she could find some more batteries. My camera died at 9:30am. ARGH.

P0012831 P0012832 Here we are at 10:30 am. The opening is now history. It was much the same as at Crossgates except this time I was able to participate in the jumping up and down, clapping, doing the wave, and high-5's and whatnot. It was very good. The best thing was that everybody wanted to see the iPod as soon as possible so there was an evident rush into the store once the door was open. Check out the line of people outside the store still at 10:30 am! Wow.

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P0012837 P0012836 The theatre was used to do demos of iPod several times while we were at the store.

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P0012845 P0012846 The guy on the right has a T-shirt that says "The Power to CRUSH the Other Kids" which I think is a reference to a 1990 Saturday Night Live skit.

P0012847 P0012848 In the theatre is a demo/presentation of and about iPod.

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P0012852 P0012854 Traffic is heavy. Even the kids play area is busy. My son (in the white NorthShore shirt) was complaining that there weren't enough computers to support all of the kids who wanted to play. P0012855 P0012856

P0012857 P0012861 Hey! Check out the Restroom sign. I don't remember seeing one of these in the previous stores. Also, once you are in the back room the bathrooms are pretty much the only thing in the hallway so getting back out of the back-room is easier.

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P0012864 P0012866 Here is your's truly checking out the iPod Also see Mike and the "Monster's Inc." trailer on the studio display.

P0012869 P0012871 Business was very good at the cash registers

P0012875 P0012876 At 11am there are window watchers trying to decide if it is worth waiting in the 30 minute line or to wait until another day. Tough decision!

P0012879 P0012879zc The guy on the far left in the first picture has a great shirt. I cropped it and magnified it in the second image.

P0012877 P0012880 T-shirts are being delivered to the exit. They are packed in little tubes. As I understand it, the first 1000 people to LEAVE the store get a free t-shirt. You don't get one until you leave. Holding a T-shirt tube is a license to bypass the line to get back into the store. These tubes of T-shirts look mighty good on the mantelpiece as you can see the blue Apple symbol and the name of the mall through the transparent tube.

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P0012867 P0012868 Here are two Apple Corporate people carrying grand-opening shirt boxes from the back room

P0012873 P0012874 T-shirt distribution is ready. Nobody seems to be leaving! The people waiting outside are trying to be patient.

P0012884 P0012885 He's ready for action. He's ready to give out T-shirts to departing customers. Alas it's time for me to depart. First I'll do a walk about the mall and get some more photos.

P0012886 P0012887 The line is still going strong P0012888 P0012890

P0012892 P0012893 I did a walking tour of the Mall all the way back to the car. P0012894 P0012895 P0012896 P0012897 P0012898 P0012899 P0012900 P0012901 P0012902