Microsoft will be opening the doors to their first branded retail stores this Thursday, October 22. According to the Wall Street Journal, the timing of the stores is for the release of it’s next operating system, Windows 7.

The first site is in Scottsdale, Arizona and is expected to showcase PCs, mobile phones and Xbox 360 hardware. A second site is planned for Viejo, California.

Can a Microsoft store pull the “coolness” factor of an Apple store? We’ll have to see.