Look what's sprouting

Apple Inc. is planting the seeds for its first store in South Carolina.

The Silicon Valley-based technology giant is looking at plans to raise its flag over 301 King St., formerly home to Cumberland's and Grannie's Goodies, although it has not signed a lease for the building.City planners said this week that Apple's in-house architects have asked about altering the front of the property for a potential store. The company has not filed any formal plans, according to Eddie Bello, director of the city's Urban Design and Preservation division.

Though Apple sells products through retailers all over Charleston, its flagship shops are magnets to Mac fans and iPod aficionados. The stores tout tech support, free workshops and "genius bars" that offer one-on-one product advice.

They are also the first places to stock the company's most sought-after new products, such as its super-thin MacBook Air and the pink "nano" mp3 player that it just launched in advance of Valentine's Day.

Pat Curran, a retired graphic designer and head of the Coastal South Carolina Mac Users Group, hits an Apple store every time she is in a city that has one. Her closest options now are Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte and Atlanta.

"I don't know how you can go in an Apple store without buying anything," Curran said. "There are always good things there, there are always people that can tell you about them, and you can always use the hardware right there on the spot. And the staff doesn't push you. They know they have a good product."

If Apple opens a store in Charleston, Curran said she will make weekly trips from her Myrtle Beach home for one-on-one instruction.

Though South Carolina still hasn't sprouted an Apple store, the company's retail buds have popped up all around the country in the past seven years. Apple opened 34 stores in the past year, boosting its direct-sales sites by 20 percent to 204 locations.

With the average Apple shop ringing up $8.5 million in quarterly sales, 18 percent of the company's revenue now comes from its retail business. And the stores help fertilize "brand awareness," according to Apple's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Charleston-based Digital Lifestyles Outfitters has built a huge business selling accessories for iPods and other Apple products. The company's goods are on shelves in every Apple store, according to founder and Chief Executive Jeff Grady.

"There's definitely a lot of foot traffic," Grady said. "It's the cult that is Apple."

Apple retail spokeswoman Amy Barney declined to answer questions about the King Street site Tuesday, saying only that the company had "not announced anything" about a Charleston location. She did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

Richard Faenza, the principal of the company that owns the building, said an agent showed the site to Apple planners last week.

"Right now I don't have any agreements with anybody," Faenza said.

Cumberland's, a pillar of Charleston's live music scene for two decades, moved out New Year's Eve.

Grannies Goodies, a vintage clothing store that used to rent space in Faenza's King Street building, closed in May.

Reach Kyle Stock at 937-5763 or kstock@postandcourier.com.