Apple's appeal draws hundreds

The new Apple Store's first customer had been waiting on the sidewalk more than 12 hours when a manager thrust open the doors of the new King Street store at 10 a.m. Saturday.

James Heyward, 20, was the first in a line of more than 400 people. The Apple aficionado, who has a tiny Apple logo tattooed on his inner forearm, was the first person of the day to purchase an iPhone 3G and get one of 1,000 free T-shirts.

The new store at 301 King St. offers technology support, warranty work, free workshops, children's programs and a "genius bar" that offers one-on-one product advice.

Apple stores are the first retail outlets to offer the company's most sought-after new products. Though Apple sells its products through retailers all over the Charleston area, its flagship shops are magnets to Mac fans.

Joseph Tomarchio arrived on King Street at 5:30 a.m. also hoping to snag an iPhone. He was 29th in line and held one of the coveted white, "pre-qualified" tickets that Apple employees had handed out to some customers before the store opened.

People can order an iPhone at other stores in Charleston, he said. But they then must wait four to six weeks or longer for the phone to come in, he said.

Tomarchio, a systems administrator, said he also uses Apple products at work. "I'm a geek," he said.

Angela Grech of Mount Pleasant, who arrived about 7:30 a.m., might not have heard the store's employees, who wore blue and orange T-shirts and cheered to get themselves fired- up before the big opening moment.

Grech stood about halfway back in the line, around the corner from the Apple Store. She said she came to get advice at the genius bar, which offers one-on-one product advice.

"My wireless mouse isn't working and they'll fix it for me," she said.

In the past, she said, she and her family had to go to Apple Stores when they were in Charlotte, N.C. or New York City.

"We're big Apple fans," she said.