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The Book
A different perspective.
Choose kindness.
Steve and me at the Fifth Avenue opening
When I first interviewed with Steve Jobs in November 1999 about creating a retail store for Apple, conventional wisdom said the internet would put physical stores out of business. By the time I left Apple in 2011, the team I led had created some of the most productive stores in the world.
But that isn’t the full story.
As I wrote this book, I realized how fortunate I’ve been — and how much I’ve experienced. Somehow, a retailer ended up at the center of a formative decade for a computer company. Somehow, a Minnesota boy ended up working alongside some of the most talented people in the world — and a once-in-a-lifetime CEO — in Cupertino. Somehow, a kid who grew up loving stores ended up creating one.
The joy of writing this book has been uncovering the story, and that story starts with the first conversation I shared with Steve in November 1999. With Shop Different, I offer you the chance to experience what led to that conversation — and what followed.
With this book, I invite you to think, shop — and perhaps, live — different.
“When Steve Jobs hired Ron Johnson, history had already made its point: computer stores fail. Yet the Apple Stores brought in billion a year faster than any chain in history. And in this beautifully written book, Ron explains why: because they weren’t just stores, but hangouts, theaters, schools, and summer camps. Because they bucked every shred of conventional wisdom. And because they treated us not like walking credit cards, but — as Ron puts it — ‘meaning-seeking creatures seeking meaning.’”
From David Pogue, Author of Apple: The First 50 Years
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“Ron’s moving book is not simply about retail, but about care, intention, and building in a way that truly serves people. Apple’s focus on human connection changed stores and how people relate to technology. Shop Different is about the relationships and sense of community that physical spaces can inspire.”
From Laurene Powell, Founder of Emerson Collective
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“I spent years outside Apple Stores on launch days — counting lines, talking to customers, and trying to understand what was driving Apple’s momentum. The answer kept coming back to the stores. They weren’t just selling products; they were shaping the entire Apple experience. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the decade that transformed Apple into the most admired and valuable company in the world.”
From Gene Munster of Deepwater Asset Management
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“When Steve returned to Apple, we moved quickly to stabilize the company and deliver great products. A few years later, Steve made the bold decision to open our own retail stores — an idea many questioned, but one I believed had real potential. He searched for a young, creative merchant and hired Ron Johnson to lead the effort. This book tells the inside story of how that conviction, paired with disciplined execution, created the most successful retail model in the world. A thoughtful, personal, and engaging account of a pivotal chapter in Apple’s history.”
From Fred Anderson, Former CFO of Apple
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“In a world that often separates performance from purpose, Ron Johnson shows they are inseparable. Shop Different isn’t just a fascinating look inside the beginning of Apple Retail — it also shows how leading with love, kindness, and values is a powerful model for building teams, serving customers, and creating lasting impact.”
From Pat Gelsinger, Former CEO of Intel
The Co-Author
From the man who co-builtwrote it.
Ron Johnson
Creator of the Apple Store
I grew up in Edina, Minnesota — two miles from the first indoor shopping mall in the world, Southdale Center. I went into retail out of Harvard Business School, picking the stockroom at Mervyn’s in Los Angeles over Goldman Sachs in New York City. After five years at Mervyn’s, I joined Target, where I worked with architect Michael Graves to bring good design to everyone. That initiative earned me Steve’s attention and the opportunity to create the Apple Store. I later attempted to reinvent the department store at JCPenney, and though it didn’t go as I’d hoped, I learned more in 24 months of failure than I did in 24 years of success.
If you’re interested in booking me to speak, you can learn more below.
I grew up in San Rafael, California — two miles from… approximately no writers I can speak of. (Well, actually, Isabelle Allende lived up the street. And Anne Lamott was in Marin! So I am — or was — in good company.) I decided to start writing seriously after graduating from Kenyon College in Ohio, where I studied economics and creative writing. One of the essays I wrote while working full-time in sales in Chicago — The Luxury Network — earned me Ron’s attention and the opportunity to help him tell his story. It is his first book, and mine. And now, with our launch date fast approaching, it has me in sales again.
My keynotes draw on thirty years at the intersection of design, culture, and retail — the ideas that built some of the most loved experiences in retail history, and the hard lessons that came after.
I speak on innovation: what it really takes to conceive something new with no blueprint and no precedent. On culture: how leading with kindness and love creates the conditions for people to do the best work of their lives. On technological change: how periods of rapid disruption create opportunities to innovate, and how to take advantage of them. And on failure — which, in my experience, teaches more than success ever could.
I’m exclusively represented by BigSpeak for speaking engagements.
How this book came to be… And my hope for what it becomes.
I like to think I’m a humble guy, and the idea of writing “my story” always felt a little arrogant. But then, in 2023, I was introduced to a young writer, Zander Nethercutt, who reminded me that in fact, telling my story honestly would be the best way to give credit to those who made it worth writing. Three years later, our collaboration has resulted in Shop Different.
I love what we’ve created. My hope for this book is that it starts — and amplifies — conversations about the power of in-person experiences, service, and human connection. Still, while the stories in Shop Different reflect the conversations Zander and I had with my former colleagues at Apple, many stories had to be cut, and we didn’t get to speak with everybody. Therefore, I would like to create a forum to bring everything that made the Apple Store special to life. If you have stories about the work you did in Apple Retail or the experience you had in an Apple Store — or simply want to connect — I want to hear from you.
If you have stories about the work we did together or the experience you had in an Apple Store — or simply want to connect — I’d love to hear from you. I read what comes in.
No payment is due today. You’ll receive an email from a human soon with an invoice (due September 8, 2026) and a request for billing and shipping details. You can make updates to your order once that email arrives.
