Google opens 1st brick-and-mortar store in the Midwest at Oakbrook Center mall

OAK BROOK, Ill. (WLS) -- Google is celebrating the grand opening of its very first storefront in the entire Midwest at Oakbrook Center mall.

ABC7 was there for the fanfare, and there are new renderings of the company's massive redesign of the former Thompson Center.

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It was a true techy celebration at Oakbrook Center Mall as Google's first Chicago-area storefront and only one in the Midwest opened its doors for the first time on Friday.

"I've never seen a Google store before, so it's exciting," said customer Hugo Gutierrez.

"It's nice to put it in your hand to see if you kind of like it, if it's easy to use," said Kim Ramirez, another customer.

Google Global Head of Stores Mike Camacho said it is all about expanding that physical footprint to show products to customers outside of a smartphone or laptop screen.

"When we looked at Chicago specifically, we thought what a great opportunity to go where our customers are and oak brook center represents where our customers are," Comacho said.

This is an exclusive retail experience. There are only five of these stores in the entire country, bringing customers right to Google products and giving that hands-on experience in a market that is not just important for cellphone consumers, but for Google's workforce.

Remember, Chicago is cemented as a major market for Google. Its multimillion-dollar redesign of the iconic Thompson Center is well underway.

SEE ALSO | Gov. Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, Google officials mark start of Thompson Center construction

Renderings released just this week of the Atrium and Randolph Street entrance show a large, airy space surrounded by glass and greenery with multiple open levels. The outside surrounded by an outdoor eating area and second-floor lounge.

"I think that having our office here in Chicago, our great Google presence, now, we have a store in Chicago. We're excited to have both," Camacho said.

And while the retail look is familiar, customer Matthew Mola brought up another tech giant's storefronts.

"They gotta compete against Apple, and they need more storefronts to compete," Mola said.

Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Rob Karr said this is on-trend for other online-first companies.

"Customers want to, still, for many things, touch, feel, experience what they're purchasing in most regards anyway, so this is just a recognition of that," Karr said. "The vast majority realize they need brick and mortar in some capacity and likewise, brick and mortar needs online in some capacity."