he mighty hand of Steve Jobs continues to push the Apple Empire beyond the fringes of the computer industry and into a dominant position. In the age of the Ipod, the Apple brand name has never been so successful or visible. Everyone is dying to get their hands on one of Jobs’ sleek machines to prove to their friends that they are the biggest techno-geek in the group. As a result, the Apple Store franchise has never been more successful and Montreal is finally going to get a flagship location.

That’s right Apple-loving Montrealers (I know you’re out there), your time has come. Apple Inc. is currently in the final stages of opening a massive, multi-story retail outlet in the heart of Montreal. The company has been eyeing up a 9,300 square foot space along the 1300 block of Rue Ste-Catherine West. The company plans to use the existing space but will heavily renovate the building, joining the two floors of retail space with a massive glass staircase straight out of Apple’s famous New York flagship store.

While this Montreal location will be no where near the size of the massive Manhattan shop (it’s still a few thousand feet off the mark), it will still represent the first flagship location in Canada and is scheduled to be only the 10th such shop in the world. Apple is expanding and it has its eyes dialed in on Montreal for the next stage in expansion. The store should open its doors in either the summer or early fall of next year. When that happens, drooling locals will finally have an appropriate venue to worship church of Apple. What a time to be alive.