What’s in a store?
What’s in a Starbucks store? There’s so much more than you first might think, particularly from a store designer’s point of view.
Our stores, big and small, play host to countless interactions between ordinary people living out their lives every single day of the week. The fantastic thing about Starbucks is that we don’t have a door policy - everyone is welcome in our stores allowing these real life moments to be played out over a coffee. And by that I mean it’s the stuff that we’ve all been through in our lives. It might be that first date, it could be that interview for a dream job, or it could be where you catch up with an old friend you haven’t seen for years. Relationships will break up in our stores and marriage proposals will happen, inspiration will be sought while gazing out our windows for emails, homework or book writing all in the name of time out. Think about it, so many of us have lived out key moments of our lives with a Starbucks coffee in our hands.
As part of the Starbucks design team, I’m very conscious of all of these things that take place in our stores. We’re very mindful when designing a store that we make it comfortable and relaxing for the people that use it. We’re creating stores that really do fit around the lives of the people using them as well as fitting into the local neighbourhood. Reflecting on a couple of our most recent projects, we’re proud of our stores and how they’re already become part of people’s lives in both communities.
At our new Neal Street store in London’s colourful Covent Garden becoming part of this vibrant neighbourhood was the main focus when designing this small store. By restoring the original shop front, to fit in with the rest of the Neal Street neighbourhood, we installed a concertina window that opens to allow the energy and noise of Covent Garden to flow into our store. If you think about it that’s what locally relevant design is all about. We provided a bench below the window outside to allow customers to take a few minutes in their day to pause for thought, to make that call, to decide if that second date is the right thing, or to grab some sunshine while people watching in one of the most exciting shopping streets in the world. I really do believe that our colourful little Starbucks store on Neal Street adds to the character of the area, and in fact residents and customers alike have commented how it feels as though it’s been there for years – already a part of their lives.
By contrast our stylish re-designed store in Knightsbridge, West London is one of our biggest stores and without a doubt caters for thousands of visitors to London. Whether on holiday or on your way to work I believe we have designed a beautiful store that can act as a relaxing nesting place for all of those real life moments I spoke of earlier, with a diverse mix of cultures and languages which is audibly evident in this part of town. Worth noting is how we have celebrated the fabric of the building by stripping back to the original materials and finishes, like the block wall and polished concrete floor. The store has been designed to allow better interaction between our baristas and our customers - as you know, great coffee tastes even better when served with a smile! Both stores have been designed to the green design and building standard that all Starbucks stores now follow, called LEED.
Personally, I can think of countless moments in my life where I’ve sat in a Starbucks, long before I worked for the company, and yes there was the job interview, and indeed there was that telephone call that spelled the end of a relationship. Yet, without a doubt, the most memorable was the hug from my friend Susan that I hadn’t seen in over 10 years.
So what’s in a store – well it’s you and me, doing what we do every day over a great coffee.
Thom Breslin, director of design Starbucks UK and Ireland
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