Verizon's hoping its new digs on Chicago's famed Michigan Avenue will become a destination for visitors wanting to relax, play and hopefully purchase wireless goodies.

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

November 19, 2014

12 Slides

CHICAGO -- Verizon is hoping to encourage Chicagoans and visitors to buy more mobile devices and accessories, or at least spend hours playing with them, with the unveiling of its largest "destination" store in the Windy City this week.

The carrier opened the doors to the store, its second destination store after the Mall of America in Minnesota, on prime Michigan Avenue corner real estate over the weekend. The two-storey building houses all the smartphones and accessories you could want, along with a bevy of devices consumers might not realize Verizon Wireless offers -- things like connected soccer balls, drones, FitBits and keyholes.

Want to know more about mobile devices? Check out our dedicated devices/smartphones content channel here on Light Reading.

The store is similar in scope -- and location -- to rival AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T)'s own experience store, opened over two years ago, but it has even more of an interactive, "hey, why don't you stay awhile to escape the cold" kind of vibe to it. (See Photos: AT&T's New Chicago Playland.)

Click on the image below to launch a short slide show of our visit to Verizon's new digs.

Figure 1: Drone Zone The most popular part of the Verizon store is already the drone zone, in which visitors can try out drones in the air or on the ground in a contained area. Employees said they have already sold several to men who weren't buying them for their kids... The most popular part of the Verizon store is already the drone zone, in which visitors can try out drones in the air or on the ground in a contained area. Employees said they have already sold several to men who weren't buying them for their kids...

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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