Starbucks opens its first 'un-Starbucks' store, 15th Ave Coffee & Tea

July 25, 1:45 AMStarbucks ExaminerCindy Tickle

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 At 6:00 am on Friday, the doors opened to Starbucks first “un-Starbucks” store on Capitol Hill in Seattle. It’s called 15th Ave Coffee & Tea and upon first glance, you would never know it was a Starbucks. There isn’t a green siren logo to be found anywhere. The only thing giving away the true identity of the corporate owner are the words “inspired by Starbucks” strategically placed around the café including etched into the wooden frame of a menu board.

The new 15th Ave Coffee & Tea will not offer the traditional drip coffee. Instead, it will have multiple coffee brewing options like the manual pour-over, the coffee press and the small-batch brewing Clover. The manual La Marzocco espresso machine makes a triumphant return allowing the baristas to be more creative and artistic. Along with some unique coffee and tea selections, the coffeehouse will also offer beer and wine, pastries from Essential Baking Company, Starbucks ice cream, free Wi-Fi (no Starbucks card required) and live entertainment such as musical performances and poetry readings.

Many have said this is a bold move for Starbucks changing its décor and name, but it actually pays homage to the original Starbucks store which opened in 1971. The original brown logo still hangs in front of the first store unchanged after almost 40 years, Starbucks Coffee, Tea & Spices. With its old, dark woods and brown color palette, the store located in the Pike Place Market inspired this “new” coffeehouse. Some say that 15th Ave Coffee & Tea is a departure for Starbucks, but perhaps the company is finally coming home. 

Original Starbucks store opened in 1971, one of the
inspirations for 15th Ave Coffee & Tea.
Photo: Seattle Municipal Archves 1977

One of the reasons for Starbucks trip to yesteryear could be the return of Arthur Rubinfeld, president of Global Development, in 2008. Rubinfeld initially joined Starbucks in 1992 and spent almost ten years growing the company from 100 stores to 4,000. Now, Rubinfeld is leading the movement to build environmentally friendly Starbucks stores worldwide, and 15th Ave Coffee & Tea is no exception. It features locally sourced and reused materials – the community table made from the wood of an old ship, wood cladding made from a retired barn in the Pacific Northwest, and seating from a local theater.

Contrary to some media reports, this is not the first time Starbucks has offered beer and wine in its cafes. Back in 1999, Starbucks experimented with another “neighborhood coffeehouse” concept, and it didn’t share the Starbucks name either…Circadia Coffee House in San Francisco. Circadia served breakfast, lunch and dinner along with a full liquor bar, live music and internet access (no Wi-Fi back then). According to a June 1999 article in Entrepreneur,

This cross between a neighborhood coffeehouse, a restaurant and a bar caters to a hip, urban crowd, many of whom have shunned Starbucks in the past. Circadia doesn’t use any corporate branding. Nor does it leverage Starbucks' name in any way. In fact, there are no outwardly visible signs that the place is even linked to Starbucks, and many patrons don't have a clue it's owned by the coffee powerhouse.”

Sound familiar?

While San Francisco had Circadia, Seattle had three Café Starbucks – Pacific Place, West Seattle, Madison Park and downtown Seattle (formerly a Circadia). Café Starbucks was also a restaurant concept offering a full service menu and alcohol. Obviously, both Circadia and Café Starbucks are no more. Will this “neighborhood coffeehouse” concept be different for Starbucks the second time around?

The new 15th Ave Coffee & Tea is the first of three rebranded stores to come to Seattle. If all goes well, the company hopes to expand the concept to other cities meaning one may be coming to a neighborhood near you.

*Special thanks to Josh at sciencevsromance.net for the use of his photo.

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