Garmin Opens Store in...of all places...Chicago!

[Jay Honeck]

This from AvWeb:

************************************************** ************************************************** *********
GARMIN OPENS FIRST RETAIL STORE
Pilots may forget that aviation is just one segment of Garmin
International's business-but the company is extending its presence in
the consumer electronics market in a big way with the opening of its
first retail store on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Erie Street in
downtown Chicago. The flagship store opens on November 11 (pick up your
free T-shirt for coming down to the full day of events), with two
stories of Garmin goods (the aviation department is on the second
floor) to test out and comparison shop. Also, the store features a
35-seat auditorium in which the company plans to host seminars for
pilots on a variety of topics-not just how to use the latest cockpit
gadgets, though these will certainly be showcased as well. For more
information, visit Garmin's newly revamped Web site or check into the
company's blog site.
************************************************** ************************************************** *********
Does anyone else find it supremely ironic that Garmin is going to hold
"seminars for pilots" just a few blocks from the once-great Meigs
Field? Are they really opening a store In a city that many pilots
have refused to re-visit until King Daley is either dead or out of
office?

Talk about a corporation being out of touch with aviation! They could
easily have selected any other major city in the country for this
store, and showed more sensitivity. What a shame.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Jim Burns[_1_]]

> Does anyone else find it supremely ironic that Garmin is going to hold
> "seminars for pilots" just a few blocks from the once-great Meigs
> Field? Are they really opening a store In a city that many pilots
> have refused to re-visit until King Daley is either dead or out of
> office?
>
> Talk about a corporation being out of touch with aviation! They could
> easily have selected any other major city in the country for this
> store, and showed more sensitivity. What a shame.
> --
> Jay Honeck

I actually laughed and said aloud "How the heck am I supposed to GET
there?!"
Jim

[eric]

>> Does anyone else find it supremely ironic that Garmin is going to hold
>> "seminars for pilots" just a few blocks from the once-great Meigs
>> Field? Are they really opening a store In a city that many pilots
>> have refused to re-visit until King Daley is either dead or out of
>> office?
> Talk about a corporation being out of touch with aviation! They could
>> easily have selected any other major city in the country for this
>> store, and showed more sensitivity. What a shame.

> I actually laughed and said aloud "How the heck am I supposed to GET
> there?!"

Time for everyone to email Garmin and express our displeasure.

[The Visitor]

Jim Burns wrote:

> I actually laughed and said aloud "How the heck am I supposed to GET
> there?!"
> Jim
>

You're right. They certainly could have picked a better spot.

[Roy Smith]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote:
> Talk about a corporation being out of touch with aviation! They could
> easily have selected any other major city in the country for this
> store, and showed more sensitivity.

I wouldn't call setting up shop less than a mile from Boeing's corporate
headquarters being "out of touch with aviation".

[Peter Duniho]

"Roy Smith" > wrote in message
...
> I wouldn't call setting up shop less than a mile from Boeing's corporate
> headquarters being "out of touch with aviation".

Well...unless Boeing executives are running down the corner to pick up some
GPS equipment at Garmin's retail store, and then shipping the goods back to
the assembly plants (which are NOT in Chicago), I don't see the connection.

Daley may be wishfully thinking otherwise, but I don't think most people who
actually know a thing or two about aviation consider Chicago to be an
"aviation town".

Pete

[Dave Stadt]

"Roy Smith" > wrote in message
...
> "Jay Honeck" > wrote:
>> Talk about a corporation being out of touch with aviation! They could
>> easily have selected any other major city in the country for this
>> store, and showed more sensitivity.
>
> I wouldn't call setting up shop less than a mile from Boeing's corporate
> headquarters being "out of touch with aviation".

What in the world does Boeing have to do with it? It's about the dumbest
location possible for pilot seminars.

[Bill Denton]

Sorry to hang off your message, Peter, but I had deleted all of the previous
ones...

A couple of points...

Aviation is just one segment of Garmin's business. A quick drive along
Lakeshore Drive will show that there is a tremendous market for their
boating products just within the city of Chicago.

IIRC, Garmin is opening their store in the old Sony space, which is just
down the street from the Nike store and the Apple store ad infinitum. This
particular stretch of Michigan Avenue contains several manufacturer's
"showcase" stores. And the area is a huge shopping destination.

Then there's this:

Code Name Distance Driving Time
KPWK Palwaukee Municipal 24.1 mi 39 min
KGYY Gary/Chicago 31.0 mi 49 min
KIGQ Lansing Municipal 39.9 mi 49 min
06C Schaumburg Regional 28.7 mi 49 min
LL22 Brookeridge Air Park 31.4 mi 50 min
1C5 Clow International 37.1 mi 59 min
KARR Aurora Municipal 50.9 mi 1 hr 5 min
KDPA DuPage 34.3 mi 1 hr 9 min
KLOT Lewis University 42.7 mi 1 hr 10 min

These distances/times are from my home, which is two blocks from Lake
Michigan, five miles from the center of downtown.

Despite Daley's childish attitudes and actions, there is no lack of a
"Chicago aviation community". It's just that much of it is in the suburbs.

Garmin has all but wiped out Bendix-King.

They didn't do this by being lousy at marketing...




"Peter Duniho" > wrote in message
...
> "Roy Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I wouldn't call setting up shop less than a mile from Boeing's corporate
> > headquarters being "out of touch with aviation".
>
> Well...unless Boeing executives are running down the corner to pick up
some
> GPS equipment at Garmin's retail store, and then shipping the goods back
to
> the assembly plants (which are NOT in Chicago), I don't see the
connection.
>
> Daley may be wishfully thinking otherwise, but I don't think most people
who
> actually know a thing or two about aviation consider Chicago to be an
> "aviation town".
>
> Pete
>
>

[Don Tuite]

On Sat, 04 Nov 2006 05:19:15 GMT, "Dave Stadt" >
wrote:

>
>"Roy Smith" > wrote in message
...
>> "Jay Honeck" > wrote:
>>> Talk about a corporation being out of touch with aviation! They could
>>> easily have selected any other major city in the country for this
>>> store, and showed more sensitivity.
>>
>> I wouldn't call setting up shop less than a mile from Boeing's corporate
>> headquarters being "out of touch with aviation".
>
>What in the world does Boeing have to do with it? It's about the dumbest
>location possible for pilot seminars.
>
If Garmin stopped GA support tomorrow, what impact would it have on
their bottom line?

Don

[Jay Honeck]

> If Garmin stopped GA support tomorrow, what impact would it have on
> their bottom line?

Probably not much.

But then, our refusing to return to Chicago -- for ANY reason, until
Daley is dead -- will accomplish even less.

Still, sometimes you gotta fight with the only weapons at hand.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Grumman-581[_1_]]

Jay Honeck wrote:
> But then, our refusing to return to Chicago -- for ANY reason, until
> Daley is dead -- will accomplish even less.
>
> Still, sometimes you gotta fight with the only weapons at hand.

Well, *I* haven't lost anything in Chicago, so it's not like I'll be
wanting to go there... The one good thing that can be said about Chicago
is, "Well, it's not New York" -- slight praise, at best...

[.Blueskies.]

"Bill Denton" > wrote in message ...
: Sorry to hang off your message, Peter, but I had deleted all of the previous
: ones...
:
: A couple of points...
:
: Aviation is just one segment of Garmin's business. A quick drive along
: Lakeshore Drive will show that there is a tremendous market for their
: boating products just within the city of Chicago.
:
: IIRC, Garmin is opening their store in the old Sony space, which is just
: down the street from the Nike store and the Apple store ad infinitum. This
: particular stretch of Michigan Avenue contains several manufacturer's
: "showcase" stores. And the area is a huge shopping destination.
:
: Then there's this:
:
: Code Name Distance Driving Time
: KPWK Palwaukee Municipal 24.1 mi 39 min
: KGYY Gary/Chicago 31.0 mi 49 min
: KIGQ Lansing Municipal 39.9 mi 49 min
: 06C Schaumburg Regional 28.7 mi 49 min
: LL22 Brookeridge Air Park 31.4 mi 50 min
: 1C5 Clow International 37.1 mi 59 min
: KARR Aurora Municipal 50.9 mi 1 hr 5 min
: KDPA DuPage 34.3 mi 1 hr 9 min
: KLOT Lewis University 42.7 mi 1 hr 10 min
:
: These distances/times are from my home, which is two blocks from Lake
: Michigan, five miles from the center of downtown.
:

Those distances are fine, but are those times taken at 3:00 AM when no one else is out driving?

[Hilton]

Jay Honeck write:
>> If Garmin stopped GA support tomorrow, what impact would it have on
>> their bottom line?
>
> Probably not much.

Jay,

I sure wouldn't characterize a quarter *billion* dollars annually as "not
much" (about 15% total revenue).

Hilton

[Roy Smith]

"Hilton" > wrote:

> Jay Honeck write:
> >> If Garmin stopped GA support tomorrow, what impact would it have on
> >> their bottom line?
> >
> > Probably not much.
>
> Jay,
>
> I sure wouldn't characterize a quarter *billion* dollars annually as "not
> much" (about 15% total revenue).

More than that, it's the highest margin part of their business. For 2005
(the most recent year data is available), aviation was 22% of total
revenue, but 28% of their gross profit. They're not getting out of the
business anytime soon.

[[email protected]]

Bill Denton wrote:
> Sorry to hang off your message, Peter, but I had deleted all of the previous
> ones...
>
> A couple of points...
>
> Aviation is just one segment of Garmin's business. A quick drive along
> Lakeshore Drive will show that there is a tremendous market for their
> boating products just within the city of Chicago.
>
> IIRC, Garmin is opening their store in the old Sony space, which is just
> down the street from the Nike store and the Apple store ad infinitum. This
> particular stretch of Michigan Avenue contains several manufacturer's
> "showcase" stores. And the area is a huge shopping destination.
>
> Then there's this:
>
> Code Name Distance Driving Time
> KPWK Palwaukee Municipal 24.1 mi 39 min
> KGYY Gary/Chicago 31.0 mi 49 min
> KIGQ Lansing Municipal 39.9 mi 49 min
> 06C Schaumburg Regional 28.7 mi 49 min
> LL22 Brookeridge Air Park 31.4 mi 50 min
> 1C5 Clow International 37.1 mi 59 min
> KARR Aurora Municipal 50.9 mi 1 hr 5 min
> KDPA DuPage 34.3 mi 1 hr 9 min
> KLOT Lewis University 42.7 mi 1 hr 10 min

Jumpin' Jimini, thats alot of underused acreage. Don't forget
Waukegan's port.

I can't get why Garmin would pay those HUGE rents for Mich. Ave. space.
Hardly a soul in their store...JG