Grand Central Apple Store opening doors for business next Friday, December 9

There you have it, the definite proof that Apple’s massive store in New York City’s Grand Central Terminal is opening doors for business at 10am next Friday, December 9 – just in time for Christmas. Kudos to Marco Arment, the Instapaper developer, for tweeting the above photo which clearly shows the “Arriving Friday, December 9” temporary signage adorning Apple’s trademark black curtain used to tease a forthcoming grand opening.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli plans on taking a closer look at Apple’s dirt cheap deal with MTA, which leased store space in Grand Central Terminal at a bargain price of just $60 per square foot (works out to $800,000 during the first year) versus the $200+ per square foot most other tenants pay.

According to the Fortune’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt, the store could measure at 23,000 square feet, nearly matching London’s Regent Street (25,000 square feet) and Covent Garden (24,600 square feet) outlets. It should rake in a hundred million dollars in revenue per year:

Some 750,000 people pass through the Grand Central’s marble halls every day, and traffic swells to more than 1 million per day during the holidays. According to the terminal’s official website, 50% of its commuters’ household incomes are over $100,000, and 20% are over $200,000.