Walk into the Apple Store at Tysons Corner Center today and you’ll see the usual: glowing glass, light-colored wood, and crowds of people tapping on the latest iPhone 17. It feels modern. Fresh. But if you were there on May 19, 2001, you would have seen something much weirder. Steve Jobs was pacing around in a black turtleneck, personally explaining how a "Genius Bar" worked to skeptical reporters.
That day changed retail forever.
Most people don’t realize that the Apple Store at Tysons was the very first one. Literally, Store #001 (though technically Glendale Galleria in California opened the same day, Tysons hit the clock first due to the East Coast time zone). For over two decades, it sat in its original spot, a somewhat cramped, windowless rectangle that eventually started feeling like a relic of the early 2000s.
Then everything shifted.
The 2023 Move: A New Chapter for a Legend
In May 2023, exactly 22 years to the day after it first opened, Apple did something it almost never does with its "historic" sites. It moved. The shop didn't just get a fresh coat of paint; it migrated to a massive, light-filled space on the second floor of the mall, right by the Plaza.
Honestly, the old store was starting to feel like a high-tech closet. The new one is a beast. It’s roughly three times the size of the original.
What’s cool is that Apple didn't just make it bigger. They used it as a testing ground for what they call "Universal Design." If you look closely at the tables, they aren't all the same height. Some are lower to make them actually usable for people in wheelchairs. The aisles are wider. They even installed a portable hearing loop system so people with hearing aids can actually hear the "Today at Apple" instructors without the mall's background roar.
The Return of the Physical Genius Bar
For a while, Apple was trying to make the "Genius Bar" invisible. They wanted you to just sit at a random table and wait for a guy in a blue shirt to find you. People hated it. It felt chaotic.
At the reimagined Apple Store at Tysons, they brought back the actual bar. It’s tucked into a wooden alcove in the back right corner—exactly where it was in the 2001 original. It’s a nice nod to history, but with a 2026 twist. There are dedicated spaces for "Order Pickup" now, which is basically essential since half of us just buy stuff on the app and want to sprint in and out in under two minutes.
Why This Specific Store is Different
You’ve probably been to an Apple Store in a different city, so why care about this one?
Basically, Tysons is Apple's flagship for the suburbs. While the Fifth Avenue cube in New York gets the tourists, Tysons gets the tech. It’s where they trial new sustainable materials. The ceiling isn't just white plastic; it's made of biogenic acoustic panels and baffles. That’s a fancy way of saying it’s made from plants to soak up the noise. Even the floor uses biopolymers instead of traditional chemical resins.
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The vibe is less "corporate showroom" and more "high-end library."
- Location: 7926 Tysons Corner Center, McLean, VA.
- Accessibility: Located on Level 2, near the Victoria’s Secret and the mall’s outdoor Plaza.
- Hours: Typically 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, though Sunday closes early at 7:00 PM.
Tips for Visiting Without Losing Your Mind
If you’re heading to the Apple Store at Tysons, don't just wing it. This is one of the busiest malls in the country.
- Park at Garage E or C. These put you closest to the Level 2 entrance near the store. Walking from the other side of Tysons Corner Center is a trek you don't want to make with a broken iMac in your arms.
- Book the Vision Pro Demo. As of early 2026, you can still book these 30-minute slots. Even if you aren't buying a $3,500 headset, it's a wild experience and the Tysons staff are specifically trained on the newest spatial computing updates.
- Use the "Express" Pickup. If you're just grabbing a charging cable or a new Watch band, check in via the Apple Store app when you're in the parking lot. By the time you walk through the glass doors, they usually have your bag ready at the front counter.
What Most People Get Wrong About the History
A common myth is that the Tysons store was a guaranteed success. Not true. When it opened in 2001, BusinessWeek famously ran a headline saying "Sorry, Steve, Here's Why Apple Stores Won't Work." People thought it was crazy to open a dedicated computer store when Gateway was failing and Dell was king of mail-order.
Tysons proved them wrong. Within two days of opening, the store sold nearly $600,000 worth of gear.
Today, it serves as a reminder that retail isn't dead—it just has to be worth the trip. Whether you're there for a "Today at Apple" session on how to use the new Google Gemini-powered Siri features or you just need a screen protector, you're standing in the spot that saved Apple's bottom line two decades ago.
Actionable Insights for your visit:
- Check the Today at Apple schedule on the website before you go; the Tysons location often hosts guest creators for photography workshops that fill up fast.
- If you need the Genius Bar, make a reservation at least 48 hours in advance. Walk-ins at this location are notoriously difficult because of the high volume of tech support needed by the surrounding Northern Virginia tech corridor.
- Look up at the ceiling and down at the floor—it’s one of the only stores in the world built almost entirely with plant-based, carbon-neutral construction materials.