photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World photo

Store Leader Samantha Sexton shows off the lobby of Simply Mac, 3221 Iowa St., on Aug. 16, 2021.

I’m not even old enough to remember the days when a student would bring an apple to the teacher. (I’m pretty sure nothing short of an “apple-tini” was going to make my teachers feel better about me.) But my wallet and I are well aware of the trend of students today bringing Apple computers to school. It is a big thing in Lawrence, and now there is a new Apple-licensed retailer looking to capitalize on it.

Simply Mac has opened along south Iowa Street in one of the buildings in front of the Target store. The small chain — it has about 50 stores across the U.S. — is both selling and repairing Apple products out of its location at 3221 S. Iowa St.

Store Leader Samantha Sexton said there’s an easy-to-understand reason for why the company made Lawrence its first location in Kansas: students.

“We really like being in college towns, and we like being in places where there is not an Apple store nearby,” Sexton said.

Apple, of course, operates many company-owned stores across the country, but none in Lawrence. Sexton said Simply Mac tries to fill that void in communities.

“We are like an Apple store, but not quite,” Sexton said. “In between a Best Buy and an Apple store is us.”

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World photo

The Simply Mac store, just south of 31st and Iowa streets, is pictured on Aug. 16, 2021.

That means the company sells brand new Apple computers and iPads, and it also means that all the store’s employees and technicians have gone through Apple-approved training. The accessories that the store sells also are approved by Apple.

“So, you are not going to get some cheap gas station cable,” Sexton said of off-brand accessories for Apple devices.

But Simply Mac isn’t a full-fledged Apple store because it doesn’t sell every type of Apple device or product. For example, the store doesn’t sell iPhones. But the store does repair all types of Apple devices, including phones. The store does both warranty work for Apple devices, and also will do repairs that aren’t covered by warranty.

The store also sells some used Apple devices, Sexton said.

And it sells at least one item you may not expect: electric scooters. Simply Mac stocks a Segway brand of scooter, both in adult and kid sizes. There is a little bit of a tie-in to Apple products with the scooters. Sexton said the scooters were designed to connect with a person’s Apple ID, which allows the scooter to be tracked if it is ever lost or stolen.

But mainly, the scooters are a good fit because they appeal to that student group the store covets. Plus, they’re fun. Sexton said the top model at the store would travel about 40 miles on a single charge, and it will hit speeds of up to 18 mph.

“If you really need to get up a hill fast, it can do it,” she said.

In Lawrence that could be handy, although my teachers never cared if I was late to class.

In other news and notes from around town:

• It looks like the longtime downtown bar and sandwich shop Quinton’s is set to become a new venture. A sign permit has been filed at City Hall for Mass Street Ale House in the location that has housed Quinton’s for decades. Quinton’s never really did open back up from the height of the pandemic, and its future was up in the air. This development filing for the building at 615 Massachusetts St. is the clearest sign yet of what is to come. I’m working to get in touch with the folks behind Mass Street Ale House to find out more about the venture. I’ll report back when I do.

• It sure looks like the Lawrence Arts Center may be getting some new space, and it will be slightly closer to Massachusetts Street. Plans have been filed with City Hall for an Arts Center Annex at 1000 Massachusetts St. While the location has a Massachusetts Street address, the plans show it just around the corner from 10th and Massachusetts street in the space that formerly housed a children’s play center. According to the plans on file, the space would include a dance studio and a performance studio. I’ll reach out to the Arts Center to find out more about the plans and report back when I hear more.

• A much-talked-about move for a downtown retailer also is underway. The Raven bookstore closed today as it prepares for its move to a new space at 809 Massachusetts St. According to an email from the store, The Raven expects to be closed for a “few days” while the store moves from its longtime home on Seventh Street in downtown Lawrence. I hope to do a tour of the new store once it opens, and I’ll report back when I do.