You’re riding your bike down a busy street, and, suddenly, you see the marquee. “COMING SOON: APPLE POP-UP SHOP, AUGUST 16 - 18” it declares, in a suspiciously Apple-esque san-serif font.
What could it be selling, you wonder? New, limited edition Apple merchandise? An ultra rare, Supreme-style streetwear drop branded with the Cupertino company’s logo? Maybe even that incredible, vintage varsity jacket that Drake wore at WWDC in 2015?
Simmer down. I’m here to tell you that it’s none of those things. The “Apple pop-up shop” is somehow not what it appears to be while being exactly what it says it is: as the Facebook event for the temporary store reveals, the event is a promotion from Stemilt Growers, an actual apple farm that’s showcasing its latest variety of apple. So, essentially, it’s a literal apple store.
As the page advertises in what feels like a tongue-in-cheek version of Apple’s (the company) own product announcements (emphasis ours):
Stop in for a taste of Rave®, a new brand of apple exclusively grown by sixth-generation apple farmers in beautiful Washington State. Outrageously juicy, refreshingly crisp, and so good you’ll want to rave about it, it’s the new apple on the block to watch.
Stemilt is certainly leaning into the coincidence between the name of the famous technology company and the fruit it grows, aping Apple’s own bitten fruit logo with an uneaten version.
If you’re in New York City and you’ve seen these cropping up, maybe don’t start lining up outside the pop-up hoping for some cool swag.. unless you’re really in the mood for a Washington apple. Do these folks not know New York state grows its own apples, too?