BHpunman

The Pike Place Starbucks Store is like no other Starbucks. They have retained the wood counters and other artifacts to keep the flavor of their humble beginnings in 1971 when the company only sold whole bean coffee, tea and spices. The company’s original brown logo with a Reubenesque bare breasted Siren (not mermaid!) is still proudly on display. Sharp eyed visitors will note that this is the only Starbucks store in the world where you can buy the Pike Place Blend coffee and Pike Place collector mugs. If you want a plush chair and a fireplace to spend a leisurely time with a friend, this isn’t it. If you love Starbucks coffee like I do and you want to get in touch with its roots, this is your equivalent of Mecca. Store partners (employees) are proud of their opportunity to work in the original store, and Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz occasionally drops in to remind himself where he’s been and where the company is headed. More impressive to look at, but not open to the general public (except for its ground floor Starbucks Store) is the Starbucks Headquarters in the SODO district, just a few blocks south of Safeco Field where the Mariners play.