When it comes to brand-spanking new Starbucks stores, the wood used in espresso bars, table tops, and the walls often has a story to tell.
Yesterday, I walked into the Starbucks at Minor and Allen, in Kelso, Washington. That’s a small town in South Western Washington, not too far from Portland, Oregon. This new store will have its one year anniversary on July 13, 2013. (It’s store #15741 at 1509 Allen Street, in Kelso, Washington. The phone number is 360 577 2598) I know that Starbucks store design tries to design new stores with locally relevant reclaimed wood for tables, espresso bars, or what have you.
At the register, Jeannie greeted me – she was very cheerful! I ordered my beverage, and she requested my name for my cup. There was no one behind me in the line. So I asked, “Jeannie, what’s the story that goes with the wood in your store?” She said, (not verbatim) “Before there was a Starbucks on this site, there used to be a bowling alley on this land. The bowling alley – called the Highlander Bowl & Restaurant. When this store was built, the wood from the actual bowling lanes was reclaimed for our community table and other table tops.”
Needless to say, I was completely and totally impressed with her reply to me. And as I looked at the tables, I suddenly did see a bowling alley.
Congrats to store design for incorporating the bowling lanes into this Starbucks!
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Great post. Love learning trivia about Starbucks stores.
My store #5969 in Fountain Valley, California recently had a remodel. What I was told is our long wood bar counter top is a big driftwood plank from the Pacific.NW The table base for our high tables are sawed off old lamp posts. Our big computer table base is part of a train track crank and railroad stuff. The clincher though is the antique tin ceiling. I see the no-ceiling-exposed-air-duct look less and less now and more creative re-purposed stores.
Got to love concious businesses; loved ur story!
@Patrick – Those were the kinds of stories that I was looking for, for your store! I have a draft of a blog post in progress for your Starbucks in Fountain Valley. (I have a ton of articles I need to write from this trip!) I love hearing about your store!
Melody nice piece and love the look of the table and glad to see how SB thinks of the environment but I have to say from my experience they do not follow through when they remodel all stores. My local store remodel did not take into consideration the reuse of wood or anything else. In fact, after the remodel it has become so so cold in the store at different times that it is uncomfortable. You would laugh at looking at some of the customers! They claim this happened because of the remodel. I have sent emails to the DM and the response has been very corporate. I really do enjoy seeing how they reuse parts of old buildings into new construction.
@Purple1 – I have noticed that it’s more with the brand new stores, and some of the major 10-year remodels where you see Starbucks incorporating reclaimed wood into espresso bars and tables. If a store gets a “refresh” (the 5-year, smaller remodel) they don’t always do such major work involving new wood in the store.
It’s not always about the coffee but the caring and uniqueness that Starbucks brings to each store with a story to tell. I wish ALL their stores reflected the community heritage in some way. Thanks for sharing stories with us.
@Melody: this store and its wood is beautiful….but I have to agree with @purple1, there’s a huge huge difference in stores…not just from a ‘refresh’ but a real 10 yr ‘remodel’. You’ve seen pictures of what they did (some of them, I think) as a real ‘remodel’ of my regular store….no longer so regular because the remodel was SO So bad. They did a nice job on the bar pick up area, and really, that’s about it. The rest, they should’ve left alone, as badly as a real remodel WAS needed (and done, supposedly). The tables and chairs, all thrown in at random, are made of Mexican Pine and so many were splitting on day one that a new carpenter was in just to replace what he could of those. It’s really overall horrible. (I even got our mayor involved in this one….not just Sbux and the dm and rdm etc)
So, yes, this one you show is beautiful. and there are many very well don ones near me…but also many big big failures. 🙁
@DeniseR – I intentionally phrased this as more of the brand new stores, than the remodels. Though it’s clear your neighborhood store’s remodel was not at all like this! It’s a shame, and I feel for your store, but I have more questions than answers. I don’t know if there is a local design office (not Seattle partners) making remodel decisions for other areas, or if there are different budgets or who knows what? I don’t know. I do know that some stores with a major remodel end up with quite the experience – Patrick’s store in Fountain Valley is a good example of that – I am working on a blog article on his store. That’s a beauty! I am sorry is about all I can say, for your store – I just don’t know what they were thinking when remodeling your local store.
Denise R I totally agree with your comments. Besides the awful a/c problem, we too have minor issues re the look of the tables, etc. and the design team could have put more effort into the remodeling. Here too there are aspects of the remodel that are nice, but it sure does amaze me how they make their decisions and it would be interesting to know as Melody points out if there are local design offices that get involved. I do know the SB regional office folks came to the store a few times but am not sure if any of those people were from a design team on a local level.
re: my earlier comment: there’s I don’t know what involved with these decisions. The first Sbux in our village, much smaller but always popular, had a more than 10 yr total remodel….you could hardly recognize the store…and it is beautiful! Everything about it is beautiful…the wood, the comfy chairs, the computer tables, the bar…all of it beautifully used space. This is only just under a mile from the store I am referring to with the horrible remodel. Same suburb, same dm, same rdm (same Sbux!) etc. I don’t know, I’ve seen some really really gorgeous ones and some that I just can’t imagine why they even bothered.
My store used to be an old bank from the 70s. The entire structure of the store is the same as it was in the bank days: full brickwork walls, picture windows, and skylights. Our back line cabinets, espresso bar, and condiment bar are made from the wood that used to be the tellers’ desks. Our women’s bathroom was the bank vault, and they kept the 20ft ceilings, sky light, and castle-turret shape of it! It’s a really unique building! We were able to grab our big leather chairs and couches from an old bar/lounge from the area, too. Many customers fall victim to sleeping on the leather couches in the warm sunshine of the picture windows. Love my store!
@Jen – That truly sounds awesome. Your store must be gorgeous!
Oh my goodness. I started with Starbucks in 2000 and boy the stories I could tell you about the stores and settings all over Orange County CA. When I was a newer Barista I loved opening stores. One was a KFC, another was an old historic firehouse in downtown Santa Ana (the dumpsters are where the fire trucks would park). A Der Wienersnitzel(sp?). When I was a manager about 5 years ago those refresh/facelifts we horribly done. My store got a refresh with blonde unfinished pine veneer AND white floor tile….who does that? The first cup ring was stained there for another 2 years. The white floor…in a coffee shop? Dumb builders.
Oooo, cool post! I do like how Starbucks is community conscious and would actually enjoy reading mores stories similar to this one, along with pictures (hint, hint for future blog post series :)). Next time I stop by my local Starbucks I’ll ask the baristas or managers the stories behind the wood in their store. Never would have thought to do that.
@Jen – Your store sounds lovely! I could probably spend hours reading there.
Do any of you late 90’s early 2000’s Starbucks goers remember our old Siren Chess Table tops? You NEVER see those anymore. The Baristas would collect whole and non-fat caps and give them to customers that wanted to play Checkers. The Chess customers would bring these really elaborate Chess pieces (even the timer-clock thingie) and drink for here mugs of coffee…..for hours. I think as the world continues to grow in a digital direction our customers are as well. Let’s just hope they’re playing Chess on their Laptop with another person in another part of the world at Starbucks on their Laptop.
@PatrickFlynn – I totally remember those round tables with the chess pattern, and Sirens on the table! I tried to score one once from a store getting closed, but I was too late. Since pretty much almost every single Starbucks in Seattle has had a major remodel or pretty significant “refresh” I haven’t seen one of those round tables in years. I would love to have one for my apartment. And I totally remember baristas would collect the milk caps to be used as checkers pieces. #Memories!