Apple to Renovate Iconic Fifth Avenue Store, Temporarily Relocate to FAO Schwarz Building

Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue store in New York City will soon close for renovations and temporarily relocate to the soon-to-be-vacated FAO Schwarz toy store in the General Motors Building, according to the Associated Press. The report does not offer a timeline for the renovation plans.

Apple Store Fifth Avenue FAO Schwarz

Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue store, left, and nearby FAO Schwarz store, far right (Flickr)

FAO Schwarz, the oldest toy store in the United States, is set to vacate its ground-level store in the General Motors Building in July 2015 due to the rising cost of rent. The storefront is located just steps away from the current Apple Store at 58th Street and Fifth Avenue, so the temporary move should be rather seamless.

Apple reportedly plans to renovate about 20 existing retail stores in the United States to accommodate for increased foot traffic, with many stores set to double in size. Apple's flagship Regent Street store in United Kingdom is among the stores that will be renovated, while San Francisco's Union Square store will be relocated.

Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue retail store was last renovated in 2011 when larger, seamless panes of glass were installed. The renovation was completed in November 2011, with before and after pictures and a YouTube video providing a good look at the transition to a more seamless design.

Top Rated Comments

kybldmstr Avatar
116 months ago
Goes to buy Apple Watch from super expensive toy store (ironic)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JeffyTheQuik Avatar
116 months ago
If it like other Apple Stores I have been to it most likely people hanging out for the free wi-Fi or surf on the unlocked Macs.

Apple really needs to stop stuff like this and figure out to stop these vampires.
Why? It builds up good feelings to Apple, and it doesn't hurt me.

Stores that kick people out build up bad feelings and press.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wombat94 Avatar
116 months ago

Note: The pic used in this article sucks - feel free to use this one!
I'll just point out that the pic in the article "sucks" if you just want to see a picture of the Apple Store Cube... but it was specifically chosen to show the proximity of the FAO store to the Apple store (as pointed out in the caption on the photo)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
116 months ago
I can't believe FAO is closing. That store has been there for ages. Sure, Apple stores are nice but they are everywhere; there's only one FAO Schwartz.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
citysnaps Avatar
116 months ago
A "problem" Microsoft will never have to face.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WildCowboy Avatar
116 months ago
That's annoying! Visiting NYC in Aug and this was one of my stops!!!
Current store will likely still be open in August...FAO Schwarz doesn't close until July 15, and then it'll have to be prepped for Apple.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
apple vision pro orange

Apple Vision Pro Customer Interest Dying Down at Some Retail Stores

Monday April 22, 2024 2:12 am PDT by
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...