Once I turned the corner onto Morro Street, I found a line of people cued up halfway down the street. So, I went and joined them.

My place in line wound up being right in front of the store’s receiving door. There was pretty regular movement through here by the store’s employees.

While waiting in line, we were handed out Sweepstakes Entry Forms for a drawing that will be held at the store tomorrow. I heard that the grand prize is a MacBook, iPod and training sessions at the store. Don’t know if that’s true.

When it was time for the store to officially open, the employees (literally) ran out of the receiving door, clapping, cheering and offering high-fives to the customers in line. Then they entered the store through the front doors and lined up around the fringes of the store’s interior. The revelry continued until all of the customers were inside.

Here’s a bunch of photos from the inside of the Apple Store:

As is the tradition with all new Apple Stores, the first 1,000 customers who came to Higuera Street received free T-shirts. The shirts come in small boxes sealed with Apple logos.

The shirt itself is black and simply says “Higuera Street” on the front, along with an Apple logo.

The back of the shirt reads “Designed by Apple in California.” (I took a photo of the shirt back, but it didn’t come out in such a way that you could actually see the words.) The shirt is a little too small for me, and it’s too big for Jen. I haven’t decided yet what to do with it. Maybe I’ll post it on eBay and see how much the Apple fanatics will put up for it.

I know I’ve expressed some negative feelings in the past about Apple opening this store. And I still think it sucks that the corporate store may affect the established reseller. But it’s obvious that Apple is here to stay. Hopefully, the market is big enough to keep both shops in business. Only time will tell. (Please Digg and Pop! this entry.)

(Photos also available through Flickr.)

Awhile back, I noticed a black construction partition go up around one of the corners downtown. I didn’t pay it much attention at first. That is until last week, when I noticed a huge Apple Computer logo flanking a nearby intersection.

Last fall, I had heard that Apple was looking at opening a store in SLO. But their plan wasn’t accepted by the city, and the store was put on hold. A few months went by, and the city changed its mind. And, yes. Apple is coming to San Luis Obispo. I have mixed feelings.

I’m an Apple enthusiast. Jen and I both use Macs. I have an iPod. OS X rules. Yep. I’ve got the religion! And having another place in San Luis Obispo to buy Apple products isn’t a bad thing. That’s right. Another place. You see, there’s been an Apple dealer here in town for a long time.

The place is called Mac Superstore, and it’s been around since the late 90′s. Mac Superstore is an independent, Authorized Apple Reseller. That means that they do almost everything that a corporate Apple Store does. They’re just not owned by Apple. And now Apple is opening a shiny new corporate store right in the Superstore’s backyard. That’s not fair.

I heard a radio interview with Mac Superstore owner Shane Williams that originally aired last Thanksgiving. Back then, it looked like Apple’s plans for installing a store in SLO weren’t going to pass. While Williams was hardly upbeat about the proposed store, he didn’t seem overly concerned, either. Williams did point out that Apple’s desire to expand into San Luis Obispo seemed counter productive; Mac Superstore is a succesful outlet for Apple products. Why bring in an element that would provide direct competition to an established Apple vendor? The answer is simple: Greed. Apple saw Mac Superstore’s success and realized that the central coast is a good market for its products. Instead of rewarding the local shop for its hard work and partnership in spreading the Apple brand, Apple has chosen to move in and take control. There are only two instances where this kind of business model is in practice: Corporate America and the mob. Who knew Steve Jobs had anything in common with Tony Soprano?

Anyway, I’ll be there when they open that fancy new Apple Store. I’ll marvel at the spectacle of the shop’s modern design. I’ll become filled with the lust for new high-tech computer stuff. And then I’ll head across town to Mac Superstore and get my fix.

(Photo also available through Flickr.)