From two stores to a retail empire: Apple celebrates 25 years of physical retail

New York- Apple marked the 25th anniversary of its first retail stores this week, highlighting a transformation that reshaped technology retail while underscoring the company’s growing shift toward e-commerce and digital services.

Apple opened its first two stores on May 20, 2001, in Tysons Corner Center and Glendale Galleria, introducing a direct-to-consumer retail strategy that challenged the technology industry’s traditional reliance on third-party distributors.

The original stores featured concepts that later became synonymous with Apple retail, including the Genius Bar for technical support and in-store theater spaces for product demonstrations.

According to late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, the goal was not simply to sell “megahertz and megabytes,” but to create “an amazing way to buy a computer.”

Twenty-five years later, Apple operates 272 retail stores across the United States, with California leading at 54 locations, followed by New York and Florida.

While physical stores helped define Apple’s brand identity, the company’s business model has evolved significantly toward digital commerce. Apple is now the third-largest e-commerce retailer in the U.S., holding a 3.2% market share behind Amazon and Walmart.

The company also reported strong financial results for the first half of fiscal year 2026, driven in part by record sales of the new iPhone 17.

Despite the milestone celebration, Apple also announced the permanent closure of three stores in Maryland, Connecticut and California, including its Towson location — the first Apple store in the U.S. to unionize in 2022.