Remembering Gary Allen
In front of the Apple Store, forever.
October marks eight years since the death of Gary Allen, a legendary figure in the Apple community. Over the span of 14 years, Gary visited more than 140 Apple Stores and meticulously documented every detail of Apple Retail design and operations on his website, ifoAppleStore.com. I’ve never taken a moment to properly recognize Gary’s contributions to the community and his impact on my life, so today I’m going to fix that.
Gary’s interest in Apple Stores began back when the best way to attend a new store opening was with a PowerBook in hand. I love this excerpt from his Walnut Creek opening diary:
Another interesting discovery was, via Rendezvous, the presence of various printers inside the store. One Overnighter was able to print to a ink-jet printer ("Hi, Neo!"), and the security guard who was locked inside immediately swiveled his head to find the curious noise. He found the printer, retrieved the print-out and brought it to the front window of the store, as if to accuse us of doing it. Of course, everyone was laughing, screaming and yelling--but not admitting.
Just as the sun started to come, we broke out a digital camera and tripod, put on the self-timer and took a group photo of the Overnighters. We transferred the photo to a laptop (USB CompactFlash card reader), pulled it into Photoshop 7.0, added some captions, and then printed out a couple of copies on the store's ink-jet printer. The security guard again retrieved the print-out, and placed it on a table at the front of the store. Later, Danny retrieved the print-out, which basically said, "Thanks, Apple, congratulations on your new store, and welcome to Walnut Creek!"
When Apple Stores went international, Gary was there. When the mini stores debuted, Gary was there. When the iPhone launched and Steve Jobs showed up, Gary was already there. And when Apple proposed a new store in San Francisco’s Union Square, Gary arrived two years early to begin his coverage.
In 2011, Gary embarked on a cross-country road trip to visit Apple Tysons Corner in time for the 10th anniversary of Apple Retail Stores. When I returned this past May on the 22nd anniversary and reopening of the new store, his visit was on my mind.
I never knew Gary. His work largely predates my intense interest in Apple Stores, and my email and Twitter archives suggest that I (unfortunately) never once communicated with him. But it’s not an exaggeration to say that without ifo Apple Store, Tabletops, Facades and most of my prior Apple Retail projects would not and could not exist.
Gary’s coverage was often the first and only record of many Apple Store changes, whether in his own writing or as reported through other tech blogs. Almost every time I research an Apple Store topic today — seriously, almost every single time! — I find myself cruising the ifo Apple Store web archive and Flickr page to check a fact or dig up a tidbit of information. Without the site, much of the early history of Apple Retail would’ve simply vanished. It continues to be one of the single most valuable resources to me as a writer. Information that sounds theoretically easy to find, like the grand opening dates and times for some early stores, only exists outside of Apple’s records because of his documentation.
ifo Apple Store ended in March 2015, just weeks before the original Apple Watch launch and months before the debut of the New Store Design. Gary’s absence from the conversation left an immediate void that’s impossible to fill. I don’t want his work to be forgotten today.
Thank you, Gary.
Featured image
Apple Lenox Square
Photo via tyler_r.
Great story! I was such an avid reader of Gary's site and was truly saddened when I got notice of him passing. Thanks for filling his shoes with your Apple Store newsletter!
Gary was the best. We often corresponded when I would send him updates on the Tampa, Florida store. My own interest in Apple Stores was largely thanks to his site. It inspired me to make a point of visiting Apple Stores whenever I traveled. And yes, often my travel itinerary was based on where Apple Stores were located at the time. Thank you for remembering him and his contributions with your post today.