Occasional stories about Augusta GA and its surrounding areas…
Augusta Mall is getting an Apple Store next month. This work in progress is two doors down from The Chop House in the Promenade area of the mall. Below are just a couple of shots… I’ll try to get more over the coming weeks and update this post as progress becomes more evident.
UPDATE: Apple Store – Augusta will open its doors on 19 September 2009 at 10am.
Augusta’s finally getting an “official” Apple Store, but is it too late?
ifoApple Store reported yesterday: “All of Georgia’s Apple stores are clustered within a 27-mile circle north and east of Atlanta, but not for long. Apple will open a retail store at the Augusta Mall in that city, 125 miles east of Atlanta. The 1.1 million square-foot mall along Interstate 20 is operated by General Growth Properties, and features 134 shops. The mall completed a Main Street-type expansion and renovation (The Augusta Promenade) last month, where Apple could open by July 2009.”
Additional confirmation can be found on the Apple US Jobs site where it lists Augusta, GA has a new store.
I talked about the Apple Retail Void in this region almost two years ago. But it wasn’t Apple that stepped up to fill the need. PeachMac saw an opportunity in the Augusta, GA area and opened up an awesome store in Columbia County just a couple of months ago. Darryl, who is – I assume – an employee of some degree at PeachMac, wrote in a forum regarding the Apple Store news:
“Just wanted to point out that Apple is already in Augusta. PeachMac is one of the country’s largest Apple dealers, and recently opened a store on Washington Road in Evans. We stock more than twice as many items as an Apple company store and no appointment is needed for service. “
I’m glad to see Apple finally taking notice of our community, but I hate that it’s coming so soon after PeachMac has setup shop here. I think the two stores can and will coexist. But I wonder how many people who are looking to buy an Apple product will go directly to an Apple Store instead of buying from a retailer that is more invested in the community they are serving? We’ll see… The new store could be open as early as July 2009.
I had the idea to start a local group for a while now. Having read about the success of Refresh in other cities, I was intrigued to try and do something like it here in Augusta, Georgia. It wasn’t until recently that I started to get serious with the idea. Tonight we’re holding our first planning meeting. Next month, we’ll hold our first meeting. I’m nervous and excited at the same time. I can’t wait to see what this group can accomplish for Augusta.
Jaywalking on 15th Street will cost you.
Starting Thursday, if you’re caught jaywalking on 15th Street, it will cost you $140. It’s a common site on 15th street. Jaywalking. And it’s taking place on one of the busiest streets in Augusta. The speed limit is 35 mph and 25 mph on Laney Walker Blvd. Since the accident a month ago, that left an MCG student dead. MCG Police Officers are patrolling the crosswalks at 15th and Laney Walker Blvd and 15th and Harper from 7-9 in the morning and 3:30-5:30 in the afternoon. They’re there to help people get across the streets. But the officers still see a lot of jaywalking.
Rather than working to improve pedestrians’ ability to cross 15th Street, the City of Augusta/MCG(?) has decided that it makes more sense to punish those that jaywalk. If you’ve ever tried to cross the street at a crosswalk downtown, you’ll find that cars rarely stop to allow pedestrians to cross, even though it’s a state law (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-91). Can you blame pedestrians, who likely have no other choice but to cross the street when and wherever possible?
Even though safety officers are present during peak times, it doesn’t change the fact that crossing 15th Street is dangerous. The City and/or the Medical College of Georgia needs to do something to improve pedestrian safety in this high traffic area. A pedestrian bridge of some sort seems like it would make the most sense. If pedestrians had a safer way to cross the street, they probably wouldn’t resort to crossing illegally.
Recently I started an experiment on Twitter. I know that I’m not the only web/design geek in the area, so I decided to use Twitter to get to know some folks in the area. Using Twitter’s people search, I looked for people in and around Augusta, GA. The result? I’m not alone, and while Twitter use in and around Augusta is next to null, there are some pretty interesting folks that I’m glad I decided to follow.
What next? Well, my hope is that Twitter will grow in popularity in the area and it’ll be a means to growing a real life social network/community here in the area. Right now the tech/creative community is rather fragmented and the only organization that caters (sort of) to us is the Augusta Advertising Federation. Its focus tends to be more traditional media-centric. There is also the newly formed Augusta Developers Guild, but it’s focusing more on Software Developers/Programmers.
Architectural plans for a new downtown baseball stadium were revealed today. This would be BIG for downtown Augusta. The proposed stadium looks pretty feasible, but parking is definitely going to be an issue.
It was announced today that CompUSA will be closing all of its remaining 103 stores. While most people will celebrate this, given CompUSA’s less than stellar customer service, I mourn the news. See, in Augusta there aren’t many options for buying computer hardware. There are a few local computer shops, such as ComputerOne, and several big box stores like Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target and Circuit City… but that’s it. Our only other option is to buy online. Goodbye, CompUSA.
The first floor of our building is available for rent. Located at 961 Broad Street, the 2,400 Sq. Ft. offices are located in the heart of downtown Augusta. For more information, please visit the listing page on Blanchard & Calhoun.
The Metro Spirit is looking for a Graphic Designer. If you’re interested in the position, hit Stacey Hudson up with an email for more information.
*sigh* So many Apple retail stores, and yet, the nearest stores to the Augusta, Georgia area are at least two hours away. Apple now has over 170 retail locations globally, and a majority of those are in the continental United States. Augusta (specifically Columbia County) or even Columbia, SC would make prime locations for an Apple Store, and yet we’re not feelin’ the love.
Don’t get me wrong, I know there are lots of other “Apple Retail voids” in the country… some much worse than in our area… but I think Apple’s missing a big opportunity in our area. Ours is filled, and I use that term loosely, by a dedicated Apple section in a CompUSA.
Please, please, please, Apple… consider making a home here.