The store had yet to reopen since March when the state’s stay-at-home orders to stem the spread of the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague)
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...pandemic forced many retail establishments to temporarily shutter. Following the killing of George Floyd in May, the Apple store was one of nearly 40 businesses near the corner that was damaged by rioters.
While the damage did accelerate the timing of the closure, Apple was already in discussions to close the store before the pandemic and the riots, the company said.
"Our stores in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area have served customers for 19 years, and our nearly 500 team members look forward to helping our customers for a long, long time," Apple said Thursday in a statement. "Though we’ve made the difficult decision to permanently close Apple Uptown, all of our valued team members will be offered other positions within Apple and we look forward to continuing to serve our customers at our four nearby stores."
Early last year, neighbors Columbia Sportswear and North Face shut their doors following the departure of Victoria’s Secret the year before. Canadian outerwear company Arc’teryx left last fall. The Urban Outfitters store has also been listed for possible sale or lease.
The Southwest Journal reported MAC Cosmetics closed in January of this year after City Pages reported its storefront was up for sublease.
Restaurants haven’t fared much better. The popular Sushi Tango across the street from Apple in Calhoun Square recently decided not to renew its lease due to COVID-19. Another restaurant tenant, Fig + Farro, closed in May.