Jared Stepp and Eric Smith, who for the past four years have operated the Apple certified repair business My Digital Phoenix in Lafayette, are opening an Apple retail store at 4415 Ambassador Caffery Parkway in mid-January (next to Buffalo Wild Wings in the Super Target shopping center).
Called the Orchard, the store will look and feel just like an official Apple Store, says Frankie Russo of Potenza Creative, the local ad agency helping to roll out the new concept.
Visitors to the Orchard will have the opportunity to test-drive Apple's entire suite of products, from the MacBook and MacBook Pro to Apple's full line of desktop computers, including the Mac Pro, iMac and Mac mini. Knowledgeable experts will be on hand to answer any questions and help customers learn to use the equipment, and the Orchard's seven Apple certified technicians will also service all of the electronic items it sells (with iPhone servicing offered later in the year).
Russo says the Lafayette store is one of only three Apple resellers nationwide that is able to personalize any Mac product. "It's a high-tech digital engraving process that basically tatoos any image [or name] onto the back of these items," he says. Additionally, training programs will be offered for customers and students in local schools.
The opening date has not yet been set, but the store will launch with special offers and promotions for the first customers. Stay tuned to the INDsider for an update on the Orchard's opening.