Google’s first brick-and-mortar store in the Midwest opens at the Oakbrook Center mall in Oak Brook, Illinois.

OAK BROOK, Ill. (WLS) — Google is celebrating the grand opening of its first store in the Midwest at the Oakbrook Center mall.

ABC7 was there for the fanfare, and there are new images of the massive renovation the company did at the former Thompson Center.

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It was quite a tech celebration at Oakbrook Center Mall as the first Google store in the Chicago area and only one in the Midwest opened its doors for the first time on Friday.

“I’ve never seen a Google store before, so this is interesting,” said shopper Hugo Gutierrez.

“It’s fun to pick it up and see if you like it and if it’s easy to use,” said Kim Ramirez, another customer.

Google’s global chief Mike Camacho said it’s about expanding its physical presence to show products to customers beyond the screen of a smartphone or laptop.

“When we looked at Chicago specifically, we thought what a great opportunity to go where our clients are, and downtown Oak Brook represents where our clients are,” Comacho said.

This is an exclusive retail experience. There are only five of these stores in the entire country, which allow customers to experience Google’s products directly and gain hands-on experience in a market that is important not only to mobile phone consumers, but also to Google employees.

Remember, Chicago has cemented itself as Google’s top market. A multimillion-dollar renovation of the iconic Thompson Center is already well underway.

SEE ALSO | Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson and Google Officials Celebrate Thompson Center Construction

Images of the Atrium and Randolph Street entrances were released this week, showing a large, airy space surrounded by glass and greenery, with multiple open levels. The outside is surrounded by an outdoor dining area and a living room on the second floor.

“I think because of our office here in Chicago, our large presence at Google, we now have a store in Chicago. We’re happy to have both,” Camacho said.

And while the retailer’s look is familiar, client Matthew Maul described the storefronts of another tech giant.

“They have to compete with Apple, and they need more storefronts to compete,” Mola said.

Illinois Retail Merchants Association President Rob Carr said this is a trend for other online businesses.

“Consumers want to touch, feel, experience a lot of things anyway in what they’re buying, so this is just an acknowledgment of that,” Carr said. “The vast majority understand that they need brick and mortar in some capacity, and they need brick and mortar in some capacity online.”