The Raspberry Pi Foundation opened its doors back in 2012. And over the past seven years, it has managed to pull in a legion of tinkerers, students and fans with its widely popular credit card-sized computers. Having primarily relied on online storefronts to sell its devices, the company is now taking a different approach. In Cambridge, UK, the very first Raspberry Pi physical retail store has opened.
The Raspberry Pi store features everything you could love about the company’s collection of miniature computers. Having opened on the first floor of the Grand Arcade Mall in Cambridge, UK, it marks the company’s first endeavor into a long term physical location.
The shop’s walls are lined with various displays of its different computer models. And in the interest in kickstarting your interest in tinkering overall, everything you need to get started working with the devices are in the store too. This includes everything from accessories to getting started books and more. Of course there are also plenty of souvenirs to commemorate your trip to the location like coffee mugs, plush toys and more.
The Raspberry Pi store follows other traditionally-online businesses which have built retail locations of their own. Most notably there’s Amazon, which has been rolling out several different it models like its 4-Star and Go stores. And just like Amazon, opening a retail storefront makes a lot of sense for Raspberry Pi. Having hundreds of locations spread out across Europe may not be what the company is after, but a single storefront certainly has its advantages
While a great deal of the company’s efforts are geared towards the maker community, an ever-growing portion comes from education. That’s why the retail space is part store as well as part showroom. Having an inviting area to showcase its products, and more importantly demo them, is a great strategy to bring in new tinkerers.
A majority of the location’s space is taken up by long white tables which stretch through the center of the store. Much like you’d find at an Apple Store, the tables showcase the company’s computers.
For many fans of the beloved miniature computer, the new Raspberry Pi store will be something like a place of pilgrimage. As of now, it looks like it will be the only location for quite some time. There’s no telling if we’ll see other stores pop up outside of the UK, or even at all.
But one thing is for sure, if I ever find myself in Cambridge, heading to the Raspberry Pi store will be a must.
Source: Raspberry Pi
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