I have a small business story in today's Seattle Times about Apple's plans to open its first Northwest store in Bellevue, Washington, just across the pond (Lake Washington) from where I live. Apple doesn't talk about plans in progress, which is a good strategy, but the mall's owners and one of Apple's resellers were happy to spread what they consider to be good news.
In a pretty dismal economic climate, the entrance of a national branded computer taking a reasonably large space with the advertising and additional foot traffic that comes with it has a definite positive effect. For The Computer Store, the Apple reseller (which I'll be writing more about in my next Seattle Times Mac column), Apple will be pushing a message that will benefit them as well. For Bellevue Square, the Apple faithful and Apple unaware will bring a fair amount of additional traffic.