A few years ago you could go to any major city in America, blind fold yourself, turn in place a few times, and throw a rock in any direction and hit a Starbucks coffee shop (but hopefully not any aspiring screenplay writers inside.) That is, until a recession hit and forced the company to actually try different business models rather than over saturating the world with their stores selling overpriced burnt bean water.

With the company’s main product of course being coffee & espresso, it’s no surprise that it does 70% of its business before 2pm. Seeking to remedy this and draw in an evening following, Starbucks plans to expand its product from morning beverages to Beer and Wine.

The first of the stores to serve alcohol opened in Seattle and is named after the street that it’s located on. “15th Avenue Coffee & Tea” bears a Starbucks badge on its door, and is an actual local Starbucks shop refitted with a new makeover and a different menu that also includes some local and imported beers.

The store itself was refashioned to look like a neighborhood hangout that’s been there for years. An old table made out of the refinished timber of an old ship serves as a large sitting area. Food from a local bakery will also be served in the earlier hours, and other décor includes unique lamps and murals. The lighting is dimmed and in true café fashion there will be live music and poetry readings.

This new makeover at the Starbucks’ Seattle location is an attempt to appeal to the local residents by appearing cultural and craft. Like most aging establishments trying radical new ideas, it’s unclear on how the reception will be to the corporate chain trying to appear…anti-corporate.

Reception is key, if it goes well with these first few locations, it could lead to the concept being integrated into any of Starbucks’ 16,000 current locations worldwide. Which would mean enormous changes to the franchise, although it is currently unclear how this would happen or if 15th Street’s localization and attention to detail would also be adapted.

It could end up being the equivalent of the creepy old guy at a rock show; where you are unsure whether it is alcohol or dementia to blame for his odd behavior--which usually consists of standing in the front row shredding licks on his air guitar or creeping out the youth with odd stories that fail to move in any direction but circular. It could also end up being the cool old hippy. The kind of guy where you are unsure of how he got into the party but you let him go because he has awesome stories of touring with the Grateful Dead or Led Zeppelin. Yeah, maybe like that…

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