The Only US BlackBerry Store Might Be the Saddest Place on Earth

Bless the Wall Street Journal, for it has stared into the heart of desperation itself. On a drab stretch of highway half an hour from Detroit sits the only stand-alone BlackBerry store in America. And while the picture above might indicate happier days (day? one glorious night?), rest[..]ured, today it's every bit as depressing as you'd think.

As the WSJ reports, the store has been open for five years, nearly as long as the iPhone itself—although it sounds like it hasn't gotten nearly as many upgrades:

If it sounds like a cross between a JV basketball coach's office and a perpetual-bachelor pad, well, that's RIM.

Business is slow. Morale is down, no matter how many jazz duos they bring in. And while you may think the small big box would find solace in its airport BlackBerry Store brethren, think again. There are only seven of those, and RIM's new CEO has already indicated that they maybe weren't the best idea in the first place. Their number's up.



It wasn't supposed to be like this. When RIM first heard the pitch from midwestern retailer Wireless Giant, who operates the store, the company was ready for a grand vision. One location? Try 100, sprinkled all through North America, a retail network ready to rival Apple's by, well, 2012.

No, seriously.

But then the economy happened. Competition happened. Poor management happened. Littering strip malls with BlackBerry accessories went down a few notches on the priorities totem. And so Farmington Hills became the site of BlackBerry's last stand. In North America, anyway.

See, while RIM has struggled mightily here, it's still tremendously popular abroad, where it sells ample low-cost handsets. Bargain bin stuff. Which is why it's no surprise that the next planned BlackBerry Store opening is in Dubai (the perfect place to waste money). Or that there are already four operating in Jakarta. That's right: Jakarta has 400 percent as many BlackBerry Stores as North America.

But do they have mascots and martinis, like the Farmington Hills Facebook page (21 likes, 3 recent visits) parades for us? Do they have PlayBook fireplaces and ample parking? Are they the perfect metaphor for a once-great company in decline?



Oh, actually, yes to that last one. They absolutely are. [WSJ]

Images via Facebook

The Only US BlackBerry Store Might Be the Saddest Place on Earth

I think they still have one in the ATL airport [pic] !!s d|sgusting

Of course it's sad. It's in Detroit.

THEY DO HAVE ONE IN ATL AIRPORT I THINK I HAD A CONNECTING FLIGHT.

son that !! was EMPTY

son IM DONE! I FOUND MY BERRY, NO CHARGER NOTHING. I CALLED BLACKBERRY JUST TO TEST THEM 'NO CANT SEND YOU A CHARGER ECT IM LIKE IIGHT COOL GO TO THERE SITE....


[pic] THERE SOLD OUT OF THERE OWN !! I THINK THEY GAVE UP IDK

Why have an store an hour and half outside Detroit.....it's like they were trying to fail [pic]

I'm sorry but that whole article has me flatlined.

Dumbass It's outside of Detroit in a high-end area.

Before this iPhone/Android !!

EVERYBODY wanted a Blackberry.

*waits for the clowns to start talking about how they're different*

I never wanted a BB, only fairies can type on those keyboards


Then I remember when niccas said BB was the hottest phone and it would never die out all based on "BBM"

Now look at these niccas with iOS and Android devices

Look into my brothers room and he uses his BB as an alarm clock[pic]

apple be having all types of people perform but this got this local saxphone nicca!!! lmao im so dead right now!


update: peep that mac in the BACK!!!! AHHHH!!! HA!!!!

tru story...i do the same

son, that was 2007 [pic]

I'm guessing there is a point to this statement, I just don't see it...[pic]

A couple years back, I was contemplating between the Blackberry Torch and an iPhone... boy, did I make the right choice. Thank God I couldn't get my hands on a white Torch.

BBM used to be the sh-t though after Sidekicks faded. That's when everyone just wanted AIM or some sort of chatroom to talk with friends in, that was the hugest selling point for most phones.

Sidekicks used to be like the only phones with push/instant AIM, I used to struggle with a weak[..] AT&T Wildfire [pic]

Learn to read bro. [pic] I'm from Detroit and even they taught us that. The stores in farmington hills.

Never had a blackberry, but they definitely were popular at one time. It's crazy to see how drastically things can change in business.

All of that "It's near Detroit" !! is dumb and has nothing to do with the reason the store sucks. Its right around the corner from a Best Buy, a Sprint store and in walking distance from other indirect retailers. They could have put a Sanyo or Nokia store and that same spot and it would have failed. Blackberry is a 1 trick pony and why would you shop at a blackberry store when you could easily shop somewhere with multiple products.

they should hire...

Blackberry has been dead, just shut this store down....

im glad i came into this thread ......never seen this gem