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94 Baker Street today - the mural long since history.

The Apple Boutique was a retail store, located at 94 Baker Street, London, and one of the first business ventures made by The Beatles' fledgling Apple Corps.

Opened on December 7, 1967 (with John Lennon and George Harrison attending the grand opening), the Apple Boutique's primary advertisement (aside from the promotion given by the Beatles themselves, in the media) was an elaborate mural, painted on one whole outside wall of their location, designed by Dutch artistic trio The Fool, facing out into Baker Street. Inside the shop, clothing and accessories also designed (or handpicked) by The Fool were available.

Almost immediately, trouble broke out along both fronts; other local businesses objected to the psychedelically-painted wall, and petitioned for it to be changed or wiped out altogether, while indoors, shoplifting became the number one pastime: would-be customers began helping themselves to the trendy items instead, and it was often too difficult for the staff to tell which things someone came in with, and which they picked up in the shop — plus, in the era of 'peace and love', nobody wanted to make an accusation, or cause someone to be arrested. The Fool's members also made a habit of taking their choice of the merchandise. The boutique soon began losing money at an alarming rate.

Ultimately, the local businesses won on the outside, with the mural removed by civic order. Inside, after months of steady losses, it was decided to close the boutique. This happened on July 30, 1968. The Beatles, their wives and their girlfriends came the night before, to take what they wanted; then, the next morning, it was announced that all remaining stock was to be given away for free. Word got out quickly, and the store was empty within hours, the public (numbering in the hundreds) nearly rioting to get their share.

As a final gesture, Paul McCartney used the site of the closed shop to advertise their newest single, whitewashing "Hey Jude" in all the windows. At first, this backfired, with a few locals mistaking the title for anti-Semitic graffiti (Jude being German for 'Jew'), but matters were soon explained, and the single appeared shortly after.

The boutique's manager, long-time Beatles friend Peter Shotton, moved on to other jobs at Apple Corps. Another staffer, Pattie Boyd's sister Jenny Boyd, dated singer Donovan, and later married drummer Mick Fleetwood.

• Apple Boutique page at strawberrywalrus.com - includes contemporary photographs