Last month I took a trip to California to try the Pink Lime Frozt Frappuccino. While I was there I caught up with a former partner, who shared with me some photos he had just taken, and we had a great conversation about a Starbucks in Grass Valley, California. It’s not an area with very many Starbucks stores. He was on a road trip, and when dropping by a Starbucks just off the highway, he noticed a curious thing. The small Starbucks that he was visiting had notices up that it would be closing at the end of July. The address of the location which closed at the end of July 2011, is as follows:
As I write this, the old Starbucks is still in the store locator but I assume that at some point this link will no longer work and/or be updated: 716 Freeman Lane Starbucks in store locator.
Directly across the street from the small Starbucks he visited, in clear view, was a much larger brand new company-operated Starbucks with signs on it that it would be opening on August 1, 2011. The partner decided to go check it out. So on that bright sunny July day, the store was closed, and a few days away from opening as a much larger, beautiful store. He snapped some photos as he peered through windows, including the drive-thru window. I really want to pass on his photos here (with his generous permission) because somehow it’s intriguing to look at a brand new store just two days away from its grand opening. I’m impressed at how great these pictures came out considering they were taken with his phone, through windows, into a store with no lights on. Take a look:
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this is a cool thing..peering thru the windows…and I agree, good pics from a phone plus not alot of light! I especially like that wood on the outside, and the floor plans.
Since this is an “open thread”, I’ll be back later to comment on ‘anything Sbux’!
I love this post! And it is so nice to see a SB store before it opens plus the plans for it. Thank the partner please. Looks like it will be a welcoming SB store! Where is Grass Valley?
Since this is an open thread- this am at my local SB the ASM was speaking with another partner about how the training for the position of ASM has changed and it is not as thorough as it once was and she had to go through intense training and she feels it is not fair that someone can become an ASM without the training she got. First, I wondered what the big difference was and second I was so surprised that she was so open about it on the floor. There were not many people in the store at the time.
I transferred about six months ago to a store which is due for a remodel soon. We are requesting Clover as our are sells quite a bit of whole bean and brewed coffee. I hope our store looks as beautiful as this!
@Purple1 = That’s an interesting discussion. I don’t know too much about the process about moving from shift to asm to sm, but I have a few thoughts: In 2008 Starbucks just about completely eliminated the position of asm as part of the dramatic changes of “transforming” to deal with the recession. What I’ve been told is that Starbucks was really unhappy with what the position had turned into: Partners would elevate to asm and then stop and stay an asm for years and years at one store. I think that Starbucks somehow thought the asm is not a ‘permanent’ position. In other words, if you are becoming an asm it IS because you want to be an SM soon, and so you should only be in the asm position long enough to be mentored to have your own store. Some smaller stores, with low volumes never get an asm, I think. Starbucks didn’t want the asm to be an ending point in a career. Apparently the thinking is that you can learn much of what it takes to run a store – the mechanics of it, as a shift supervisor. As an asm you learn more about leadership, and apparently a few other things that you don’t get as a shift. If it’s true that the asm position is much more transitional than before, than I guess it would follow that you now spend longer as a shift and get more training there, and get less training as an asm. (I would assume shifts don’t ever do the rp order?)
Honestly though, don’t hold me to all that. It’s not an area of the business that I am well versed in.
i wish they would re-do our store to be so awesome!
I like the artistic illustrations. Thanks for the photos!
Okay I’ll talk about anything Starbucks realted but not about this store. After my Greenlake walk yesterday I stopped into their Greenlake store for a brewed coffee (anything excapt Pike’s Puke) and, since I had only 28 cents on my gold card and forgot to put 10 bucks on it online I asked if I could reload it there. Much to my delight the cashier handed me a treat receipt for reloading it so I left with 2 treat receipts and very happy. Later that day I walked down to their store in Safeway and got 2 frappuccinos one for yesterday and one for today. Unfortunately I forgot to have the cashier ring them up separately so I only got 1 star but no matter since I only have 1 star to go for another year of gold so I’m not worried.
@Diele – Good luck getting a Clover! And @Diele and @Kate – I’m sure your stores will look gorgeous after the remodels. (@Kate – You’ll get a major remodel eventually since every store is on a schedule for one).
Oh incidedntally this is a nice store.
@Steve – Congratulations on getting to gold for next year. (Well one star away is nothing, but I think you need to go to Starbucks a little more often. ;)) By the way, I too have gotten treat receipts for reloading a card. It appears to be a normal thing in Seattle that that counts as a treat receipt, though it is a bit counter-intuitive to me.
Thanks for your congatulations Melody. I couldn’t get to any Starbucks when I was in Virginia Mason (which I enjoyed), the rehabilitation place (which I did not enjoy), and the assisted living place (which I did enjoy). Now that I’m back and I know that I can get an extra treat receipt for reloading my cad at a Starbucks store instesd of online and get nothing except a confirmation e-mail I’ll always reload at the Greenlake store. I like that store too.
Grass Valley, CA is actually my hometown!! I was so surprised to see this post. It’s open now, and I’ve had the opportunity to see the finished product and I swear it’s the most beautiful store that I’ve seen firsthand. I may have missed this in the article, but this store also has a drive through.
This store is gorgeous. I want to manage a beautiful store like this soon! lol. I would hate to be one an ASM forever! #LDG
Woah, a 3-Mastrena store…they must be expecting some serious traffic at this place. 35k+ a week for sure. Love the single-height countertops all the way around…very nice…3-station condiment bar…brewed coffee station at the POS, genius…now I just wish MY store would get re-built as a drive thru like this Cadillac of a store!
I am a shift supervisor and developing towards asm. I have been doing the rp order for two years, so shifts can. Once you promote to asm, they want to promote you to store manager in 6-8 months. If you don’t have interest in store manager then they will not promote you. Melody, you are well-informed.
I like seeing the new logo up! None of the Starbucks (near me, at least!) have switched to the new Siren. So when I see one that HAS switched (like in Times Square!) I get really excited. 🙂
@Crema – It’s interesting how everyone sees something different. My eyes zoomed into the large, round Shared Planet signet-style plaque. I didn’t even see 3 Mastrenas. Don’t most all DT stores have 3?? It seems like you’d need 2 for the lobby, and 1 for the DT.
@Diele – You will be a great SM! Glad I got the asm description right. Thank you.
I noticed the 3 Mastrenas right away too. All the DT stores in my area have one for the lobby and one for the DT.
Melody – I only have 2 for my DT, a third would occasionally be helpful…except that we don’t earn enough labour for it, so it’d almost never be used.
That store is gorgeous!
Truthfully, I’m jealous of any store with a Mastrena, because we still have that old beastly thing (I think it’s San Marco? I’m not sure, but I can tell you that it bleats like an elephant any time it has to work hard…) We’re on a list to get one…eventually… from what I knew, we were supposed to get one at the end of last year, but the date keeps getting pushed back. Melody, your comment about the major remodels makes me wonder if they’re just having us make do until we get one. Is it because of the new logo?
Hi Kitenarie! Okay, please don’t take this like I’m trying to make you feel bad, or take this wrong because I know this could come out sound wrong when you can’t hear tone of voice: your store is still using Verismos????????????
I remember one time, a long time ago, running into Howard and I asked him some dumb question like, “When will every store have a Mastrena” and I think he said something like, “75% by the end of fiscal 2010”
As to major remodels, I thought I’d heard that a store becomes eligible for a major remodel at the 10 year point. If your store is less than 10 years old, then not likely it will happen. 🙁 At 5 years is the “refresh” which is a mini updating to the store.
Oh Melody, believe me, I did not take that the wrong way at all… it kind of stinks. My store is 4-5 years old – it was built as a full Starbucks when the Acme (grocery store) with a licensed store inside it closed and moved to a new location. We’re in the same complex as the Acme. Honestly, I think the reluctance to update is because we’re low volume, which is odd considering that we’re right near a 295/95 exit (at the funny point in NJ where 95 N switches to 295 S – silly NJ). You would think at the very least we would have a much larger volume of people who were just confused when they thought they were going north and suddenly found themselves going south… but we really only get crazy when there is an accident on the highway or the turnpike (also nearby).
We had three Verismos at one point, but someone finally took the broken one from DT away and we put the oven there instead of all the way on the other side of the store nowhere near either DT or the customer pick up area. It’s a much more acceptable use of the space.
I’m hoping that the presence of a manager that cares means that she will speak up and get us Mastrenas. I may actually ask.
kitenarie – I think it’s a great idea to move the oven down to the drive thru area. I’m going to look at my store and see if it can be done, because it would be a heck of a lot faster during our morning rush if we didn’t have to run the whole length of the store to warm up a sandwich. There’s not a lot of space down there, but I bet I could figure it out 🙂
Having been the manager begging for new machines, I doubt your new manager will have much luck. My experience is that when your store comes up on the list, you’ll get the machines and not any sooner. But, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
My store is almost 4yrs old we still have the old verismos 1 in the DT and one up front for the cafe area.(there’s a store up the road that has 3machines 2 up front and one in the dt.i so wish we could get the mastrentas soon!(but i doubt we will)
I was one of the first stores in my area with Mastrenas in 2008. I don’t know if I could work on one now. I would be agitated there was no kid’s temperature or extra hot button. Also love that it displays your shot times(you can look up the last 200 pulled).
Thanks Melody. I have been frustrated lately about all the hoops my district has sent me through.
The sitting area in the illustration looks wonderful. All those couches! Would be great if you could get some follow-up photos of the store once it’s open 😀
@Kaori – I’ve gotten a couple of emails too about this store, and everyone raves about it. I hear it has a passionate SM, and it looks beautiful. This would be a graet store to visit and take follow up photos. I’m going to try and squeeze that in some day!
Let me know if you ever plan to come visit Arizona. I would love to show you my store and partners. I would have my district manager come meet you too. =)
Michelle, I love having the oven over by DT. It makes SO much more sense, especially since our customer pick up area is right there, too. The oven is right between DT and the pickup area. It is wonderful, but it does annoy our delivery guys, who are used to finding a refrigerator where we now keep our vacuum and towel box.
As far as the Mastrena, you’re probably right, we’ll get one exactly when Starbucks decides we get one, but a girl can dream! LOL. They do sound wonderful.
We are fighting to be the first store in Arizona with a clover. Our remodel is in January and we are not going to quit asking for one. The stores in our area sell 40-60lbs a week each, which shows the area has the cliental in my opinion.
kitenarie – Our handoff is by the DT window too. So it really makes a lot of sense to move it down there…I just have to figure out if it’s possible. If I’d seen this before we’d had our refresh, I could have had them add it into that. Oh well!
I visited the new Starbucks a few weeks after it opened and was very impressed with the interior, the lighting, the many available zones for comfortable reading, and the friendly atmosphere of the store. I’ve always been impressed with the design, variety and comfort of Starbucks interiors; some are better than others, but this one in Grass Valley really stands as one of the nicest modern interiors of any coffee vendor. Its LEED certified and I’m looking for an excuse to visit Grass Valley again soon so I can spend an hour or two sipping coffee and reading.