Microsoft Store Opens in Tyson's Corner Mall Today

A new Microsoft store opens Thursday morning in Tysons Corner Mall just in time for Christmas shopping.

This will be Microsoft's first store on the East Coast and 14th store in all. The company recently opened in Atlanta.

Visitors walking by the still veiled store earlier in the week could heard cheers from staff training sessions.

Five things to know about the new store:

1. What will they sell?  All things electronic. Manager Rick Green said customers can select from major computer brands, phones, X Boxes. 

"People can come in and get answers and solutions for all teir technical needs," Green said. "They can also play and learn about technology."

2. Where is the story located in the mall. The store will be located Tysons One (that's one with the Nordstrom's). Microsoft is across from Sephora and Champs and a short distance from Restoration Hardware.

No, it's not near the Apple store. Major difference between the two: Apple sells only Apple. The Apple store opened in 2001 the first Apple store to open. The other was in  Apple's hometown, Cupertino, Calif., and they opened the same day.

3. What time does it open? 9:30 am. this morning. "The first 200 people who visit the store on Thursday, November 17, will receive two complimentary premier-viewing tickets to the Joe Jonas performance on Saturday, November 19" at the mall, according to the store's Facebook page.

4. Why locate in Tysons Corner. Tysons Corner is the largest shopping mall in Virginia and in the Washington-Baltimore area. It is also a prestigious address for upscale retailers.

Remember the first Apple store  and the first Nordstrom's that was located east of the Mississippi (1988) opened here. 22 million people visit Tysons Corner Center annually according to owner The Macerich Co., of Santa Monica, Calif., a publicly traded real estate investment trust. The company owns other regional shopping malls around the country.

5. Who's in Charge of the Store. Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash., selected  experienced manager Rick Green. This is Green's fourth store opening.

"We are super-excited to be here because this is where the growth is," explaining why Microsoft chose Tysons Corner Mall for its first East Growth location. Green lives in Belleview, Wash.

He refused to say how employees the store has.