Charles Apple

Perhaps you saw the story on the wires last week: USA Today plans to start a chain of USA Today-branded, airport-based retail stores around the country. The first three opened Sept. 17 at the airport in Detroit.

But why stop there? Why not take this to the next level with more shops, branded with other newspapers?

Here are a few ideas for other retail ideas that we might use to extend our reach:

1. The Gray Lady
Selling only items of interest to retirees and the AARP crowd, brought to you by The New York Times. Includes a 24-hour pharmacy, of course.

2. The Post outpost
Specializing in unusual and outlandish things you can’t find in family-oriented stores… kind of like Spencer’s, I guess. You’ll enjoy our large selection of celebrity gossip-oriented items. And make sure you pick up a N.Y. Post-logo whoopie cushion!

3. The Bako Bakery
You’ll have an “L” of a time eating fresh-baked goods branded with the Bakersfield Californian logo. Features brightly-colored bread, muffins and bagels.

4. Partisan Place
Get your political buttons, t-shirts, bumper stickers and more by candidates from both ends of the ideological spectrum. A joint effort by your friends at the Democrat and Chronicle of Rochester, N.Y. and the Waterbury, Conn., Republican-American.

5. The Plane Dealer
Here at the Cleveland airport, you can find collectible air-travel memorabilia: model planes, airline-logo T-shirts and art prints of historic aircraft. Brought to you by the fine folks at the Plain Dealer.

6. Chicago Tribune company makeover salon
While waiting for your flight, come in and have one of our company-mandated facial or hair redesigns. And even better: We’ll do it fast!

7. The Observer
You can purchase all sorts of optical goods — telescopes, binoculars, cameras, webcams — at the Observer store in the Charlotte airport.

8. Bee-Movies
Here at the Bee Spot in the airport in Sacramento — or in our satellite stores in Modesto and Fresno — we specialize in DVDs of B-movies. We’re heavy on Charlton Heston stuff from the 1970s, Anthony Michael Hall movies from the 1980s and David Spade flicks from the 1990s.

What else? I know I’m missing some cool ideas…

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Birthdays this week in the newspaper design industry:

FRIDAY, OCT. 3

* Tim Goheen, art director/managing editor, McClatchy Tribune Information Services (45)
* Kris Viesselman, National Geographic Maps

SATURDAY, OCT. 4

* Jay Judge, AME/Design & Graphics, The Baltimore Sun
* Mark Marturello, illustrator, The Des Moines Register (49)
* Dave Kordalski, Cleveland Plain Dealer (53)
* Anders Gyllenhaal, editor, The Miami Herald

SUNDAY, OCT. 5

* Lauren Roth, education reporter, The Virginian-Pilot

MONDAY, OCT. 6

* Ken Wright, illustrator/graphic artist, retired from The Virginian-Pilot (65)

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Today marked the launch of the long-awaited, much-anticipated redesign of the Chicago Tribune.

It’s on the streets. But not in the Newseum, unfortunately — as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, anyway. So here’s the best look we can get of today’s debut front:

Here’s a before-and-after look:

Our friends over at SND/Update have posted an extensive slideshow of the first edition and a video of travel-weary Weather Channel hurricane chaser Jim Cantore walking us through the project:

Oh, wait; our mistake. That’s the Tribune’s Steve Cavendish. Even better, then! Find it all here.

Poynter’s Sara Quinn posted an interview with Tribune design director Jonathon Berlin about the redesign. And, of course, we previewed the redesign last week. Find that here.

SportsDesigner has PDFs of a special wrap-around section commemorating success Sunday by the Bears and the White Sox. Find all that here.

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UPDATE

Whatever else you do today, do not miss the video our buddy Robb Montgomery shot today of readers’ reaction to the new Tribune:

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Meanwhile, The Oklahoman of Oklahoma City also launched a major redesign today, reducing its width a 44-inch web:

The obligatory before-and-after:

This was a Maria Garcia company redesign. He’s posted a number of before-and-after examples in his blog.

Read more about the redesign on the Oklahoman’s extensive online users guide:

Poynter’s centerpiece story at the moment is the redesign of these two papers plus the Hartford Courant, which launched Sunday. Find Sara Quinn’s story here.

Also, Chicago-based design consultant Ron Reason gives his thoughts about the new-and-improved Tribune in his blog today.

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