Microsoft Store to open in Scottsdale Fashion Square

I see that a Microsoft Store is set to be open this fall in the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall, here in Scottsdale, Arizona.

In case you’re wondering, there’s no Apple Store in this particular mall. There are a couple Apple stores in town, but the closest ones are probably at best 15 minutes away from Fashion Square.

The mall is pretty nice; it’s filled with a mix of high-end stores such as Neiman Marcus, a ton of clothing stores, nice restaurants, a terrific food court, and lots of air conditioning :-). In other words, it’s a great place to escape the summer heat and go for a long walk through it’s three levels.

Actually, I’m a bit surprised that Microsoft picked this mall. Why? Because over the last few years I have noticed that quite a few stores have had trouble surviving. I think that part of the issue is that there’s no trivial freeway access to this particular mall. It is a nice area though, along the Camelback corridor and adjacent to downtown Scottsdale. To the north and the south, in fact, are two projects that my brother has helped design or worked on, so architecturally it’s surrounded by nice buildings–well, I admit I’m a bit biased :-). On the positive side, this particular mall does draw a 20s and 30s crowd as well as a strong business lunch following. There often is a good sized crowd in the mall and even with that there’s almost always an open parking place for one more.

So where is the Microsoft Store to be located? There are several empty store slots in the mall, so I’m not sure which one Microsoft has leased, but maybe it’s time I visited the mall again and see if there’s a sign that says “Microsoft Store Opening Soon” or something like that. I’m guessing it’ll either be on the first or second floor. For some reason, I’m guessing the second floor, but the first floor would be my favorite, because it’s so easy to get to and closer to the food court and movie theater.