After publishing the world’s first glimpse of the new Starbucks’ store design yesterday, we got in touch with Liz Muller who is Director of Global Concept Design over there at the big coffee company. We interviewed her on the phone about the 15th Avenue E concept store they had rolled out in Seattle, the reasons behind it, and the company’s plans for the future.
PSFK: What is Starbucks doing with this project?
LM: Our aim is to become a true reflection of the neighborhood. It’s about slow coffee and the food offering is elevated – especially the sandwiches. As part of focus on the neighborhood we’ll be doing things like supporting local bakeries.
PSFK: How would you describe the design?
LM: Organic, raw, mercantile. The design celebrates the neighborhood. We feature local artists and much of the furniture and interior is locally gathered. We looked in old shipyards and other abandoned places: the back yard is designed with a window we found in a nearby old building, the chairs have been refurbished from old Starbucks stores.
PSFK: Where did you get the inspiration from?
LM: From looking back at the core. At Pike Place. And then ask, ‘How do you reinvent that with the future?’ Since that time, Starbucks has expanded into other areas. How can we take some of the original core elements and put it into an experience?
We did this by introducing slow coffee, manual machines, the scooping of beans. You are truly looking at a different approach. Is this for every Starbucks? No. There is a place for this in specific neighborhoods in the US and potentially globally. Each approach will be different to reflect the neighborhood it is in.
PSFK: When we published the photos yesterday, there were some comments who said that the design was unoriginal and that it took from the aesthetic of local businesses. How do you respond?
LM: We have had the same question asked before. The reflection of the organic finishes, lights and colors used are inspired by the first Starbucks store on Pike Place market that was built 38 years ago.
PSFK: How long did it take for Starbucks to create this concept?
LM: We did this in a three month time frame and we were only on site for six weeks in an old Starbucks store.
PSFK: Tell us about the environmental considerations?
LM: Normally we would have pulled out the plumbing to install efficient water consumption but we didn’t have the time. There is a consideration for low energy consumption with our lighting. The repurposed woods and elements are the reflection of our commitment to reuse and falls into our culture of being sustainable. The loose chairs are actually repurposed from our existing Starbucks stores.
PSFK: How does this fit in with Starbucks’ broader strategy?
LM: During this test we’ll put a few more out there. Most will have a different offering which you can do with a different brand. They will all be locally operated – the team recruited from the local neighborhood. They will have different hours to reflect the local residents needs and will offer things like poetry readings plus they will sell beer and wine. Their roots will be connected with the future.
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Great interview Piers. Interesting to get the back story on this project.
July 30th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Talk to the neighboring businesses to get their take on this ‘design’. The owner of the bar next door is furious with the concept, and, if you read the articles on local news on the topic, Starbucks employees actually divebombed other local bars and coffee houses with folders marked “Observation” and took notes on the service and setting. There’s no excuse for companies stealing concepts from small business owners when they’re practically infinitely resourced. What’s lacking is a design vision, and the result is a Martha Stewart approach to stealing and feigning inspiration.
The aforementioned bar owner next door runs several bars and restaurants, and, while all share a flavor for this kind of random rustic design, they’re all characteristic of their separate culture. One is cowboy, another is urban, another is old-printshop. The one next door to this Fakebucks is old classy rustic, and it’s suspicious to see the Fakebucks to take inspiration from the neighbor, again, right down to the color of paints chosen for interior & exterior, rather than some of the other bars and coffee houses around the world.
All is fair, of course, in love and war, but these articles are celebrating the design culture at Starbucks, which is practically a contradiction in terms. Where they very well could have brainstormed on evolving the coffee shop setting beyond its current state, they instead chose to steal successful design from other settings and claim creative ideas from small business owners as their own.
Pike St. store my butt, they painted the outside the same color as the neighboring bar. I’ve been to the Pike St. store, and it’s not old and rustic and hasn’t been for decades.
July 30th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Yes, James, I couldn’t have said it better. Ms Muller’s coporate-speak answers only help to explain why Starbucks will never understand why people go to an independent coffee shop. Starbucks lost, or rather sold, its soul years ago.
July 30th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
The coffee is not good–dress it up however they want, but between the crappy product and the McDonald’s corporate put-one=on-every-corner philosophy, they will never be what they were at Pike Place Market, and they will never supplant the local coffeehouse. You truly want to get back to what the original idea was? Stop making bad coffee, stop practicing Microsoft corporate expansion policies, and stop thinking a new coat of paint will add depth or soul to your stores. No one in Seattle is buying it.
August 2nd, 2009 at 1:34 am
I think the concept looks great! I think it is inspiring that Starbucks aim to re use and become more aware on their suroundings.Re competitive analysis of neighboring stores/restaurants ect. competitive analysis is a must in any business…. Well done Ms. Muller I think it looks great.
August 2nd, 2009 at 4:52 am