The 8th Microsoft store opens tomorrow in Costa Mesa, CA

Microsoft continues to build retail stores at a measured pace, the 8th set to throw open its doors tomorrow to the masses of Costa Mesa, California.

And in classic Microsoft style, a pop-singing diva has been picked to help boost the opening crowd for the new retail location. This time around, the singer and actress by the name of Selena Gomez has been selected; Microsoft will be giving out tickets to one of her upcoming concerts to the first several hundred shoppers who come to the store.

If you’ve never heard of Selena Gomez and her music and were perhaps curious as to just what you were missing, don’t be. We looked into it and found nothing but fluff and synth.

Moving along, TNW visited the Microsoft store in Bellevue and found it to be surprisingly interesting and well put together. Did it have the cool factor that exudes from Apple stores? No. But it was bright, colorful, and had numerous Surface machines, so it was a perfectly nice experience.

Microsoft puts enough emphasis on their stores that they have in fact sent their CEO, Steven Ballmer, to open one of their larger locations. However, there seems to be a geographical bias in the locations that are selected for the stores:

There are currently no East Coast Microsoft stores, the reason for which is not known. It could be as simple as that Microsoft wants to cement its store strategy where it best understands the culture, on the West Coast, before heading to the other side of the nation.

We will bring you pictures from the event tomorrow as they trickle in.