Back at the end of August we took a quick little trip to Seattle. The flights were on special so off we went to this city we had never seen. Seattle is known for coffee. Starbucks, among others, is headquartered there.
Originally, Starbucks was located inside the Pike Place Market in Seattle. Now, the first store is across the street and this is a sketch of the place. I would equate it to a shrine of sorts. Apparently, coffee lovers that visit Seattle, take the pilgrimage down their to get their picture taken in front of the “original” Starbucks. And of course they buy something.
On the inside it looks like a typical Starbucks. On the outside, it looks like a family diner you would see in a small rural town….nothing to write home about. I’m glad they kept it that way. It puts on display for all to consider, what humble beginnings and a good idea can turn into.
If you ever visit Seattle, go by there for the heck of it.
2 Comments
Cool! I know it’s beginning to be popular to hate Starbucks for being everywhere, sorta like WalMart, but I still like it anyway. (Starbucks, not WalMart.) I like the idea that there’s a throwback feel to the original store.
Hi Karen,
Thanks for stopping by! I would have included more at the bottom of the drawing but it was just cars parked parallel in front of the store. There were more people too…lots more. I decided to just draw the part that was “the store”.
I was surprised at how plain it was on the outside at first look. But the whole street is that way, sort of old and crowded. In thinking about it I realized, as a start-up, they may not have really had a complete concept of what it was all going to turn into anyway. So, the “look and feel” and the “branding strategy” wasn’t a big time issue at that point. They just wanted a coffee store on a really busy, bustling street and that just happend to be the way that little space for rent looked.
WalMart started pretty much the same way. Both companys’ histories are really interesting.
By the way, a lot of people have migrated to Seattle’s Best Coffee as their brand choice, so as to be anti-Starbucks. However I learned that Starbucks bought Seattle’s Best a little while back |-/
What profiteth Seattle’s Best, profiteth Starbucks. Ha ha ha (evil laugh) their coming to get you and your money too!
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